Senegal has officially ended plans for the multibillion-dollar “Akon City” project by singer Akon and will instead develop a $1.2 billion tourism resort on the site.
The original plan aimed to build a futuristic city on the Atlantic coast, inspired by the fictional Wakanda from Marvel’s Black Panther. Akon City was to feature solar power, a hospital, a university, and cryptocurrency use. However, the project failed to progress, with much of the land reclaimed by the Senegalese government after Akon missed payments.
Serigne Mamadou Mboup, head of Sapco-Senegal—the state agency managing the land—confirmed that the initial project “no longer exists.” Sapco plans to spend 665 billion CFA francs (about $1.2 billion) to develop Mbodiène, the 136-acre site, into a tourism hub with hotels, apartments, a marina, and a promenade.
The resort development aims to “make Mbodiène a true engine of growth” and is expected to create about 15,000 jobs in its first phase, according to Sapco. Senegal’s government will contribute 65 billion CFA francs, while the rest is expected from private investors.
The decision comes as Senegal faces a serious debt crisis. A government audit revealed $7 billion in unreported loans, limiting the country’s access to global credit and causing the International Monetary Fund to freeze $1.8 billion in funding.
While Akon retains 8 hectares of land for a separate project, Sapco says it will support a more realistic development plan moving forward.
Local residents have expressed cautious optimism about the new resort. Jean Wally Sene, a teacher in Mbodiène, said: “For a long time, people, including Akon, have been selling us dreams and illusions. Finally, there’s a dream for Mbodiène that we dare to believe in.”
