Senegal Cancels Akon’s $6 Billion Smart City, Moves Forward with $1.2 Billion Resort Project

Senegal has officially canceled plans for Akon City, the $6 billion futuristic smart city proposed by American-Senegalese singer Akon. The government cited a lack of progress and unresolved financial issues as the primary reasons for the decision.

Announced in 2020, the project aimed to transform the quiet coastal village of Mbodiène into a high-tech, “Wakanda-like” metropolis powered by cryptocurrency and sustainable energy. Akon was allocated 136 acres of prime coastal land, but nearly five years later, little to no construction has occurred.

“That project no longer exists,” said Serigne Mamadou Mboup, head of Senegal’s coastal development agency SAPCO, in a statement to local media. The government has now reclaimed most of the land and replaced the plan with a more achievable $1.2 billion tourism and resort development.

In 2023, authorities issued a final ultimatum to Akon to begin construction or risk losing the land. With no visible progress and financial support fading, the government has reassigned the land to SAPCO for a new state-backed initiative.

New Direction: Tourism Hub

The revised project will involve an investment of 665 billion CFA francs (approximately $1.2 billion), with 600 billion coming from private investors and the remaining 65 billion provided by the government.

Although Akon has lost the majority of the allocated land, he will retain 8 hectares for a smaller-scale development.

Officials say the new tourism-focused development will generate substantial economic benefits, with the first phase expected to create around 15,000 jobs in the Mbodiène area.

While the original vision of a futuristic Akon City will not materialize, Senegalese authorities emphasize that the region will still benefit from economic growth—just under a different, more practical plan.