Akon, the Senegalese-US singer had announced in 2018 that he is making a city called Akon City in Senegal. He wants Senegal to come to the top as regards tourism. He is helped in this by Senegal President Macky Sall. And now on 1 September 2020, his dreams seem to be coming true. He laid the first foundation stone of this $ 6 billion city.

Akon and the foundation stone of the Akon City

The musician Akon is moving forward in the construction of the futuristic city of Akon City. Therefore, he laid the first foundation stone on 1 September 2020. This will be a smart city and will be built along the lines of the fictional nation of Wakanda. This was shown in the Marvel blockbuster Black Panther. Additionally, it will be a Pan-African city and build in Senegal.

The singer laid the foundation for the city of Mbodiène, which is a coastal village around 62 miles from the capital city, Dakar. Senegal’s minister for tourism, Alioune Sarr was with him on the occasion.

The whole project is backed by the Senegalese government and has investments from unnamed investors. The area is just a few minutes from Blaise Diagne International Airport.

More about this project

Akon’s real name is Aliaune Thiam. As regards the project, plans for the city include skyscrapers, shopping malls, music studios, and also eco-friendly tourist hubs and resorts. Also, the R&B star has launched his cryptocurrency called Akoin. Therefore, it is believed that this cryptocurrency will be the central transactional currency in this project after it starts. But when asked about it, the singer refused to answer the question.

Back in June 2020, he announced that the engineering and consulting firm KE International had won the contract for this huge venture. As per the schedule, Phase 1 of this construction will be completed in 2023. And it will comprise roads, a hospital, multiple residences, hotels, a police station, a waste facility, a school, and a solar power plant. The musician cum entrepreneur said:

“As you come in from America, or Europe or anywhere in the diaspora, and you feel like you want to visit Africa, we want Senegal to be your first stop”

The praise for the project from the Senegal government

Earlier, the singer had also made promises and talked of plans for development in Africa. But these were fraught with a lack of transparency and criticisms. Alioune Sarr praised Akon’s efforts adding that Senegal badly needed private investment especially after its economy sunk with the coronavirus pandemic.

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Furthermore, Akon also stated that the project would open up opportunities for the local people of Senegal. It could also become a home for the American Africans who face growing racial discrimination in the USA. He said:

“The system back home [in the US] treats them unfairly in so many different ways that you can never imagine. And they only go through it because they feel that there is no other way.”

Akon was born in the USA but his parents are from Senegal. Besides this, he had also spent part of his early childhood in Senegal and wants to redevelop Africa and decrease its dependency on Western countries.