First unveiled in 2018, Akon pitched a “real‑life Wakanda”, a $6 billion smart city in Mbodiène, ~120 km south of Dakar . It was to include skyscrapers, a university, hospital, resorts, shopping malls, police station, and a 120 MW solar plant all underpinned by his Akoin cryptocurrency . The first stone was laid in September 2020, with Phase 1 originally slated to finish in 2023.
Why Senegal Is Walking Away
Despite grand plans, by mid‑2024 the only symbolic groundwork was a lone Welcome Center and some minor youth facilities. Delays from the COVID‑19 pandemic played a part but deeper issues loomed:
• Investor promises (like $4 billion from Kenyan businessman Julius Mwale) failed to materialize .
• The cryptocurrency dropped from $0.15 to barely $0.003, undermining the economic model
In August 2024, Société d’Aménagement et de Promotion des Côtes et Zones Touristiques du Sénégal(SAPCO) warned Akon to start construction or risk losing 90% of the 136‑acre land grant. Villagers who surrendered land saw little return, breeding disillusionment.
Akon himself admitted he “took full responsibility” and blamed poor management.
Finally, in July 2025, both Akon and Senegalese authorities mutually agreed the project was incompatible with its lofty vision and will pivot toward something more achievable.
Akon born Aliaune “Akon” Thiam in St. Louis, Missouri to Senegalese parents spent his childhood back in Senegal before moving to New Jersey. He shot to global fame in the 2000s with hits like “Locked Up” and “Lonely,” later pivoting toward philanthropy and investment in Africa. In 2014, he co‑founded Akon Lighting Africa, a solar‑energy initiative powering rural communities across the continent.
After Senegal’s launch, Akon secured another site in Mukono, Uganda, in April 2021 about 640 acres intended for a similar future city. But progress has stalled there, too: land‑rights objections, absent compensation, and no groundwork began. About 10,000 residents occupy the land and have rejected orders to forfeit their rights, saying they were not consulted about the project.
Akon’s vision for a futuristic smart city was bold and imaginative and firmly rooted in his Senegalese identity and pan‑African dream. Yet, the reality of megaprojects is harsh: massive capital needs, shaky crypto economics, slow bureaucracies, and scarce investor follow‑through.
Now, Senegal and Akon are retooling, aiming for a scaled‑down plan that can actually deliver jobs and infrastructure instead of another futuristic mirage.
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