Akon, the Senegalese musician, has received the final notice for his proposed multibillion-dollar futuristic city in Africa.


A solitary, arched concrete block protrudes from a field in Senegal, marking the location where R&B artist Akon laid the foundation stone for his ambitious $6 billion metropolis four years ago.

In 2020, the West African nation granted Akon 136 acres of land along its Atlantic coastline to construct Akon City, a real-world manifestation of Wakanda, the fictional country depicted in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther films.

Envisioned as a futuristic urban center, Akon City will comprise condominiums, amusement parks, and a seaside resort housed within gravity-defying skyscrapers that rise above the surrounding rural landscape. The city will be powered by solar energy and utilize Akon’s Akoin cryptocurrency, as outlined by the American-Senegalese singer during a captivating presentation in Senegal’s capital, Dakar.

Currently, goats and cows graze the abandoned pasture 60 miles south of Dakar, causing growing impatience among authorities.

Sapco-Senegal, the state-owned entity responsible for developing the country’s coastal and tourism areas, has formally notified Akon to commence work on his project or risk losing 90% of the land granted to him, as stated by General Manager Serigne Mboup via email.

Akon received the notice due to several missed payments to Sapco, as confirmed by two individuals familiar with the matter. Akon’s spokesperson declined to comment, while a staff member expressed unawareness of any such notice when contacted by phone. Sapco declined to provide further information.

In addition to the luxurious apartments and seaside resort, Akon, aged 51, also envisioned the construction of hospitals, a police station, and a technologically advanced university.

Akon City was envisioned as a solar-powered and environmentally sustainable metropolis, as announced by the artist in 2020. Residents and visitors would utilize the Akoin cryptocurrency, which was launched in the same year.

Akoin, introduced during the peak of the cryptocurrency bull run in November 2020, has experienced a significant decline in trading activity. Initially quoted at $0.15 on November 19, 2020, on the Bitget crypto exchange, its value had plummeted to $0.003 by December 11, the last available price.

Local authorities were receptive to Akon’s proposals to attract businesses and generate employment opportunities in an economically disadvantaged, predominantly agricultural region of Senegal.

“Akon City would bring employment for our youth,” Mbodiene village chief Michel Diome said. “We would finally have a hospital and even a university.”

Akon, originally named Aliaune Thiam, was born in the United States but spent his formative years in Senegal before relocating to New Jersey. It was in New Jersey where he discovered his love for music. Akon gained fame in the early 2000s when he released his debut album "Trouble" in 2004. He has achieved success with 37 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, such as "Locked Up", "Lonely", and "Smack That". Akon has collaborated with renowned artists like Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Gwen Stefani. His albums have sold over 35 million copies worldwide.

“I was always thinking the day I get big, or the day I can be of an influence or have some kind of power to make decisions in Africa, I want to go in and start developing,” he told CNN in 2020.

Akon established Akon Lighting Africa in 2007, aiming to provide solar-powered solutions to areas in Africa without access to the grid. Akon City, his most ambitious project to date, needed the support of former Senegalese president Macky Sall. The initial phase of the project, which encompassed the hospital, condominiums, and an "African village," was scheduled for completion by 2023 as part of a 10-year construction plan.

“By phase one, we’ll be able to welcome visitors into the city,” Akon told CNN in 2020. He later said the pandemic pushed the ambitious deadline forward.

The commencement of construction for the initial Akon City in Senegal had not yet transpired when Akon unveiled his intentions to establish a second city within Uganda.

Yoweri Museveni, president of the East African country since 1986, allocated one square mile of land to the singer in 2021. So far, preliminary work is pending “because occupants resisted the move and sent away surveyors,” Uganda Land Commission Secretary Andrew Nyumba said by phone from the capital, Kampala.

Uganda will hand the land to the developer after the occupants are compensated, and the payments can only start from July 2025 because the government didn’t budget for them in the current financial year, Nyumba said.

In Senegal, residents have yet to receive compensation for the land they relinquished to Sapco in 2009 for Akon’s project. Concerns regarding financing and feasibility persist, leaving locals uncertain about the realization of promised benefits.

To date, the musician has funded the construction of a youth center, a basketball court in Mbodiene, and a visitor information center for Akon City. However, no substantial progress has been made in constructing the futuristic city as outlined in the 2020 blueprints.

“Akon City is a scandal,” lawmaker Bara Gaye told parliament in February 2023. “What is the government waiting for to end his contract?”

Still, Cheick Seck, a project manager with Dakar-based Axiome Construction, said that works in Mbodiene are moving ahead.

“Akon City is happening,” Seck said. “We’re just waiting for instructions on how to proceed.”

Geotechnical investigations, removal of vegetation, and a survey of endangered plant species on a section of the property are currently in progress, as reported by Akon's associates in Dakar to the local press towards the end of last year.

Akon is anticipated to arrive in Senegal's capital in the next few weeks to provide assurance to the project's partners, as stated by his team.

Diome, the chief of Mbodiene village, who was once a strong supporter of Akon's initiatives for his community, expressed his diminishing optimism that the singer would bring about transformation in his community.

"We are patiently waiting," he remarked.

- Bloomberg