Akon City, one year later: what happened? Marvel’s Black Panther inspired the hip-hop star’s futuristic Senegal utopia, but the site is still grassland ...
- The Smack That hitmaker vowed to build a super-city near the village of Mbodiene for US$6 million – almost as much as the West African nation’s entire budget
- Akon City was meant to have a casino, luxury flats, a shopping centre and prestigious universities – but locals are sceptical that the project will go forwards
A year after singer Akon laid the first stone of the US$6 billion futuristic city he vowed to build for his native Senegal, the site remains grassland.
The stone itself sits at the bottom of a dirt track in a field; a small placard advertising the megaproject has fallen off it.
Construction of “Akon City,” a project due to feature ultra-modern twisting skyscrapers, was already meant to have begun near the Atlantic Ocean village of Mbodiene. But building work is yet to start, prompting residents who were hoping for jobs to wonder about its future.
“They laid the foundation stone with a lot of speeches and promises,” said Jules Thiamane, a 35-year-old local who works in the tourism industry. “Compared to everything that was announced, I don’t think we have seen much yet.”
Akon – a Senegalese-American singer-songwriter best known for his R&B hits such as Smack That – launched his eponymous city in September 2020, to great fanfare and international media attention.
Akon City’s planners also say it will be a “beacon of innovation and human development” that will boost industry in the West African state of Senegal.
