Dakar, Senegal – The ambitious $6 billion smart city project spearheaded by Senegalese-American music icon Akon has been officially cancelled, Senegalese officials confirmed this week. Launched in 2020 with promises of futuristic infrastructure, renewable energy, and cryptocurrency-based transactions, the venture was hailed as a real-life version of Marvel’s fictional Wakanda.
Envisioned as a sprawling, tech-driven hub in Mbodiene, about 100 kilometers south of Dakar, Akon City was meant to attract tourism, create thousands of jobs, and serve as a symbol of African innovation. Plans included luxury resorts, a state-of-the-art hospital, an artificial island, and an economy powered by “Akoin” — Akon’s own cryptocurrency.
However, after five years, only a single structure — a modest building — was completed. Reports of financing delays, pandemic disruptions, and logistical hurdles plagued the project. Local communities, who initially welcomed the development, began raising concerns about land rights, unmet promises, and the project’s lack of tangible progress.
“This project captured imaginations around the world,” said one Dakar-based urban development analyst. “But it also became a lesson in the gap between vision and execution.”
Akon, whose real name is Aliaune Thiam, had promoted the city as a blueprint for how Africa could leapfrog into the future through sustainable technology and private investment. The cancellation has sparked disappointment among supporters, as well as renewed debates about the feasibility of large-scale celebrity-led projects in emerging economies.
While no official statement has been issued directly from Akon’s camp, Senegal’s Ministry of Urban Planning confirmed that the land allocation has been revoked, paving the way for alternative development plans.
For now, the site of Akon City stands as an empty stretch along the Senegalese coast — a reminder of both the possibilities and pitfalls of turning visionary dreams into reality.
