The $6 billion futuristic African city planned by R&B singer Akon is in jeopardy after government officials set a deadline of today to begin construction.
The concept of a planned city, which was developed roughly four years ago, currently has only one arched concrete block under construction on the site.
Sapco-Senegal, Senegal’s state-owned tourist and coastal development company, has now issued an ultimatum to Akon: start work or lose 90% of the land allocated for the project. According to sources close to Bloomberg, Akon received this notification after failing to make any payments to Sapco.
The artist envisioned luxury apartments, a resort, hospitals, a police station, and a university as part of his vision for the Akoin, which was launched during a cryptocurrency market boom in 2020. Nonetheless, Akoin has lowered tremendously in value and the trading volume has significantly reduced from its initial price of $0.15 at launch to just $0.003.
The West African nation supported Akon’s $6 billion city in Senegal by leasing 136 acres of land in 2020 to construct a futuristic city modelled after the fictional Wakanda in Marvel’s Black Panther.
Originally, Akon City was planned to be a city of the future filled with condominiums, amusement parks, and a solar energy and Akoin cryptocurrency-based seaside resort. When introducing the project, Akon highlighted the opportunities for stimulating economic growth in Senegal through employment generation and the development of new infrastructure.
Local authorities, who expected Akon City to become the driving force of economic recovery in the region, are gradually becoming disillusioned.
The first phase of Akon City had been expected to be completed by 2023, but due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and other challenges the deadline is yet to be determined. On the other hand, Akon is also planning to build another city in Uganda, although the project has met a lot of challenges.
Residents of Senegal who exchanged their land to make way for it still wait for promised compensation. One can read the news about Akon City and its creator, but the issue of project financing and its sustainability have yet to be discussed.
However, the author of the post, Cheick Seck, a project manager with Dakar-based Axiome Development, indicated that development is now underway. Engineering and geological investigations, environmental surveys, and impact assessments are stated to be underway at the site, although little practical evidence of project implementation is visible.
Akon, the son of a Senegalese peace officer named Aliaune Thiam, was born in the United States and spent time in the West African country before moving to New Jersey with his family. He is most known for launching his career in the early 2000s with hits like Locked Up and Lonely, which sold more than 35 million albums worldwide.
Furthermore, in 2007, Akonman launched another project called Akon Lighting Africa, which aims to provide solar electricity to those living in rural Africa. The Akon City project was the most risky he has undertaken, and it was heavily dependent on Senegal’s previous president, Macky Sall.
