Dakar, July 2025, what was once hailed as a groundbreaking symbol of African innovation has officially been scrapped. Akon City, the futuristic smart city envisioned by American-Senegalese artist Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, known by Akon, will no longer be built.
Launched with fanfare on 2020, the $6 billion project promised a self sustaining, high-tech, eco-friendly city powered by renewable energy and running on its own cryptocurrency Akoin. It was to be built in Mbodiène, about 100 km south of Dakar, as a model for Africa urban future.
But after five years of delays, missed deadlines, and minimal visible progress, the Senegalese government has officially pulled the plug. The national tourism development agency, SAPCO, announced, “The Akon City project no longer exists. Only a few basic structures remain. The land will be reclaimed and used for other purposes.”
Big Vision, hard Reality
Akon had pitched Akon City as a real-life Wakanda, inspired by the Marvel film Black Panther. The idea was bold, a futuristic metropolis driven by African innovation and diaspora investment.
However, the pandemic slowed initial momentum, and the project never recovered. no concrete funding was ever confirmed, and of 2025, only a welcome center, a small sports court, and a community building have been constructe far from the city of the future that was promised.
Senegal Reclaims Control
On 2024, Senegal government issued an ultimatum, unless significant construction began by July 2025, the land would be repossessed. That deadline has now passed and the site remain underdeveloped.
Authority are now planning to redirect the land toward more realistic infrastructure project, especially in preparation for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar.
What Did Akon Say?
On March 2025, Akon acknowledged his mistakes and offered rare transparency about the project’s setbacks. Speaking on French Media LeMonde and quoted by several African media, he said “Africa has the best resources, the best people, but it’s never been developed properly. The biggest mistake I made was promoting the project before it even began.”
He admitted to underestimating the challenges of launch such a project in Africa, even with his celebrity status, “I really wasn’t aware of the kind of difficulties involved. I thought being famous would make it easier. It doesn’t.”
The rappeur Senegalo-American also emphasized that the hype overtook the groundwork, and that this cost him dearly, “We should have moved in silence, step by step, and only talked about it once the foundations were actually in place.”
He concluded with a sense of humility and cautious optimism, “I still have the dream, but I’ve learned to be patient. If it’s meant to happen, it’ll happen with the right team, at the right time.”
The fall of Akon City raise on people deeper questions about celebrity led megaprojects, sustainability, and the importance of grounded planning. while the project inspired many with its vision of a modern, panAfrican future, critics long warned that it lacked the financial and institutional foundation needed for success.
Akon has not made any new public statement since the Senegalese government announcement. But his reflections from earlier this year suggest that he has come to terms with the gap between vision and execution.