Senegal Terminates Akon’s $6 Billion Smart City Project
Senegal Terminates Akon’s $6 Billion Smart City Project – The Senegalese government has officially terminated global music icon Akon’s proposed $6 billion “Akon City” project, citing prolonged delays, financial setbacks, and lack of tangible progress since its announcement in 2020.
The ambitious futuristic smart city, which was intended to be a model of innovation and urban transformation along the Atlantic coast, will now be replaced by a more modest $1.2 billion tourism and resort development.
In 2020, Akon — real name Aliaune Thiam — was granted 136 acres of land in the coastal village of Mbodiène, with the vision of constructing a high-tech city inspired by Marvel’s fictional Wakanda.
The project was heralded as a game-changer for Senegal’s tourism, innovation, and job creation prospects. However, little visible development has taken place since the announcement.
In August 2023, Senegal issued a final formal notice to Akon, urging him to commence construction or risk forfeiting the allocated land.
The warning followed unresolved financial issues, including delayed payments to the state-owned coastal development agency, Société d’Aménagement et de Promotion des Côtes et Zones Touristiques du Sénégal (SAPCO).
As of July 2025, SAPCO has reclaimed the majority of the land previously allocated to Akon. “That project no longer exists,” confirmed Serigne Mamadou Mboup, head of SAPCO-Senegal, speaking to the national press agency.
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The reclaimed site will now be repurposed for a scaled-down initiative led by SAPCO. The new project, with an estimated investment of 665 billion CFA francs (approximately US$1.2 billion), aims to convert the Mbodiène area into a significant tourism hub.
Funding will be sourced through a public-private partnership model, with 600 billion CFA francs expected from private investors and 65 billion CFA francs from state resources.
Akon has been permitted to retain 8 hectares of land for a considerably smaller and unspecified venture.
While the original smart city concept has been shelved, SAPCO officials emphasize that the revised tourism development will still deliver notable economic benefits, including an estimated 15,000 jobs during the initial phase.
The government maintains that the revised project aligns with Senegal’s national development goals and offers a more feasible path to stimulating local economies and enhancing the country’s tourism appeal.
