A SINGLE arched concrete block is the only sign of progress in Senegal where R&B singer Akon laid the foundation stone for his $6bn metropolis four years ago. The West African nation allocated 136 acres on its Atlantic Coast in 2020 for Akon City—a real-life Wakanda inspired by Marvel’s Black Panther films.
Promising condominiums, amusement parks, a seaside resort, and gravity-defying skyscrapers powered by solar energy and Akoin cryptocurrency, Akon presented his vision in Dakar. Today, the field 60 miles south of Dakar is deserted, save for grazing goats and cows, as government patience wanes, according to a report by Bloomberg .
Sapco-Senegal, the state-owned entity overseeing coastal development, issued a formal notice demanding Akon start work or risk losing 90 percent of the granted land, stated General Manager Serigne Mboup via email. This notice follows Akon missing several payments, insiders revealed. Neither Akon nor Sapco provided further comments.
Akon’s vision also included hospitals, a police station, and a university with cutting-edge technology. However, Akoin, launched in November 2020, has plummeted in value and is barely traded now. Initial enthusiasm in Senegal, hoping for job creation and economic development, has given way to scepticism, according to Bloomberg.
Born Aliaune Thiam, Akon spent his early childhood in Senegal before moving to New Jersey. He achieved fame with hits like Locked Up and Lonely. His Akon Lighting Africa initiative aimed to provide solar power solutions across the continent. Akon City was his most ambitious project, requiring support from former Senegalese president Macky Sall.
The project’s first phase was planned to be completed by 2023 but has faced delays. Akon also announced a second city in Uganda, but preliminary work stalled due to land disputes.
Back in Senegal, residents are disillusioned, having not been reimbursed for land handed over in 2009. Despite some local investments like a youth centre and basketball court, none of the futuristic plans have materialised.
‘Akon City is a scandal,’ declared lawmaker Bara Gaye in February 2023. Yet, Cheick Seck of Axiome Construction insists work is progressing with geotechnical studies and land clearing. Akon is expected in Dakar soon to address these concerns.
Once hopeful, Mbodiene village chief Michel Diome now doubts the project’s future. ‘We’re still waiting,’ he said.
