Five years after Akon announced building futuristic $6 billion city in Senegal, this is where it's up to
Published on Jul 15, 2025 at 7:37 AM (UTC+4)
by Daisy Edwards
Last updated on Jul 14, 2025 at 6:50 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Five years ago, the rapper/singer-songwriter Akon announced he was building a futuristic $6 billion city in Senegal, and after laying the first stone, this is where it’s up to now.
It seemed like it was one of the most ambitious projects ever suggested. It was to be a futuristic, Marvel Comics-inspired super-city with modern skyscrapers and run on the singer’s cryptocurrency.
The local Senegalese government was extremely excited by the project. It even set aside 136 acres of land for him to use.
Five years on, after taking a look at where the celeb has got to with his city of the future, it’s a sad sight indeed, especially for the locals.
EXPLORE SBX CARS – Supercar auctions starting soon powered by Supercar Blondie
What happened to Akon and his futuristic $6 billion city in Senegal?
I bet you lie awake at night worrying about the lack of updates we’ve had about the futuristic Senegalese dream city that celebrity Akon was planning on funding and building.
Inspired by the futuristic African city of Wakanda in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, the city was meant to be the most modern and high-tech city out there. And it would all run on the singer’s cryptocurrency, Akoin.
Well, unfortunately, we’ve got some bad news for you. The project is completely dead in the water.
Currently, a slab of concrete, a failed cryptocurrency, and a field of cows are all that’s left of Akon’s dream. But it’s not just his dream that was crushed, it’s also the locals’ too.
Wakanda forever? More like Wakanda never
The local Senegalese government welcomed the singer’s futuristic city idea with open arms, granting him 136 acres of land on which to build his dream city.
The area was located near the village of Mbodiène. But since it isn’t happening anymore, the people who’d given up their land haven’t even been reimbursed.
It’s a very unfortunate end for what could have been an exciting project, and hopefully the local government can find another solution for the intended land to pump money and innovation into the area.
Click the star icon next to supercarblondie.com in Google Search to stay ahead of the curve on the latest and greatest supercars, hypercars, and ground-breaking technology.
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
Daisy Edwards is a Content Writer at supercarblondie.com. Daisy has more than five years’ experience as a qualified journalist, having graduated with a History and Journalism degree from Goldsmiths, University of London and a dissertation in vintage electric vehicles. Daisy specializes in writing about cars, EVs, tech and luxury lifestyle. When she's not writing, she's at a country music concert or working on one of her many unfinished craft projects.
