Senegal has officially cancelled plans for the $6 billion “Akon City,” a futuristic smart city inspired by the Marvel universe’s Wakanda and championed by Senegalese-American music star, Akon. The announcement comes after years of delay, missed financial milestones, and failed construction efforts that left the ambitious project stuck in the conceptual stage.
Initially unveiled in 2020, Akon City was meant to transform the sleepy coastal village of Mbodiène, some 100 kilometers south of Dakar, into a thriving smart city powered by solar energy and Akon’s proprietary cryptocurrency, Akoin. The megaproject promised to include everything from a hospital, police station, schools, a stadium, luxury residences, and a cryptocurrency-based economy — all wrapped in futuristic architecture.
However, five years after its high-profile launch, the Senegalese government has pulled the plug on what it now considers a defunct project. The decision, according to Senegalese officials, was driven by Akon’s failure to meet investment commitments and initiate actual construction on the 136-hectare site allocated by the government.
“That project no longer exists,” said Serigne Mamadou Mboup, head of SAPCO-Senegal, the government agency responsible for coastal tourism development. “There has been no progress, no investments — just promises.”
SAPCO announced it has reclaimed nearly all the land initially given to Akon. Out of the 136 hectares earmarked for the project, Akon will retain just eight hectares. This remaining portion will be integrated into a newly conceived tourism and development initiative led by the government, with backing from private investors.
The new government-led initiative will carry a revised budget of 665 billion CFA francs (approximately $1.2 billion). SAPCO says the scaled-down version will still focus on infrastructure development and job creation, with expectations to generate 15,000 jobs during the initial construction phase. Plans include eco-resorts, local business hubs, and improved coastal amenities that will benefit the people of Mbodiène.
The shift represents a significant policy pivot for Senegal’s tourism sector, emphasizing realistic timelines and investor accountability over speculative celebrity-led projects.
Since its dramatic announcement, the only physical infrastructure reportedly built at the Akon City site includes a basketball court, a small youth center, and an information kiosk. Construction on key facilities such as a hospital — which was due for completion by 2023 — never began.
Despite the disappointment, Akon has maintained in previous interviews that delays were caused by pandemic-era disruptions and financing challenges. In 2023, he reassured the public that funding was being finalized and that the project would soon resume. Those assurances never materialized into meaningful action on the ground.
The project had attracted international headlines, not only for its bold vision but also due to Akon’s personal celebrity and philanthropic branding. However, urban planners and economists expressed skepticism early on, citing unclear funding sources, lack of regulatory clarity, and overly ambitious timelines.
Local residents of Mbodiène, who had initially welcomed the idea with optimism, now feel disappointed but are cautiously hopeful about the new government-backed initiative. “We were told jobs were coming, and our town would be famous like Wakanda,” said one community leader. “Now, we just want something real.”
The cancellation of Akon City serves as a cautionary tale for African nations balancing innovation and investment with due diligence and accountability. Analysts say Senegal’s firm response sends a signal that even celebrity-led mega-visions must meet concrete deliverables.
With Africa seeking global investments in smart infrastructure, renewable energy, and digital economies, officials in Dakar are repositioning the country as a serious destination for credible, scalable developments.
For now, Akon retains a small portion of his original stake, but unless further action is taken, his futuristic dream of building a city “for Africans by Africans” appears to have faded into fiction.