Promoted as a cutting-edge utopia driven by renewable energy and financed through its own cryptocurrency, Akon City was both ambitious and bold.
Early renderings of Akon City, featuring curvy skyscrapers and sleek modern infrastructure, were reminiscent of Marvel's fictional African metropolis Wakanda.
Bringing it to fruition would require an estimated $6 billion.
Nearly seven years later, most of the 800-acre site designated for the project remains an empty grassland. The only exception is a solitary unfinished reception building.
According to a BBC report that cites the country's tourism authorities, Senegal is currently reclaiming the land in order to construct something more 'realistic'.
Senegal's leaders had envisioned that the project would contribute to transforming the nation where Akon, originally Alioune Badara Thiam, spent part of his childhood.
The singer has faced difficulties securing funding for the project, and legal challenges have additionally taken a toll.
In 2021, Ugandan authorities granted Akon 645 acres of land for a similar project.
Similar to the situation in Senegal, the Ugandan project has encountered difficulties as well. Approximately 10,000 residents live on the land and have refused orders to relinquish their rights, stating that they were not consulted about the project's development.
In 2018, Akon announced that the city in Senegal would feature a hospital, mall, police station, and school.
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