Senegal Cancels Akon’s $6 Billion Smart City Project Inspired by Wakanda

Senegal has officially canceled the much-publicized $6 billion “Akon City” project, a futuristic smart city envisioned by Senegalese-American artist Akon. The government has reclaimed most of the 136 acres initially allocated for the development, citing persistent delays, lack of progress, and failure to meet financial obligations since the project’s launch in 2020.

Akon City was proposed as a tech-forward metropolis inspired by Marvel’s Wakanda, with plans for renewable energy infrastructure, innovative architecture, and an economy driven by Akon’s cryptocurrency, Akoin. The city was to be constructed in the coastal village of Mbodiène, with its first phase expected to include a hospital and key public facilities by 2023.

Five years later, however, very little progress has been made. Beyond a youth center, basketball court, and an information kiosk, construction has largely stalled.

Serigne Mamadou Mboup, head of SAPCO, the government agency responsible for tourism and coastal development, confirmed the project’s termination in an interview with L’Agence de Presse Sénégalaise, stating, “That project no longer exists.”

According to Bloomberg, the Senegalese government will now pursue a revised tourism project in the same area, supported by private investors and valued at approximately 665 billion CFA francs (about $1.2 billion). Akon will retain only 8 hectares of the original land, which will be integrated into the new plan.

Despite the project’s collapse, officials remain hopeful. The reimagined development is expected to generate as many as 15,000 jobs in its initial phase and stimulate economic growth in the Mbodiène region.