Wakanda may be more feasible than initially perceived as Africa is set to acquire its very own futuristic city by 2030. The $6 billion dollar project termed “Akon City” is the brainchild of African Investor and musician, Akon. The project was initially announced in 2018. Earlier this year, Akon confirmed that he had finalized the contract with the engineering firm, KE International for the construction of the project.
Akon City is located in Senegal, near the small coastal village of Mbodième, close to the Dakar Blaise Diagne International Airport. Akon was reportedly gifted an impressive 2,000 acres of land by Macky Sall, President of Senegal. The first phase of the project is underway and set to be completed by 2024. The second phase is set to run from 2025 to 2030. The project has reportedly secured investors such as Kenya’s Julius Mwale. Dubai based company, Bakri & Associates is set to lead the architectural design for the project.
Plans are for Akon City to be powered entirely by renewable energy through his solar power project, Akon Lighting Africa which took off in 2014. The city’s local currency will be none other than Akon’s very own cryptocurrency, Akoin. Akon City is being dubbed a tourist city, with a mix of residential and commercial areas boasting a man-made lake, solar power plant, stadium, universities, hospitals, parks and the likes.
Whether or not the project will be beneficial to Africa is debatable. There are concerns that Akoin can only be profitable if operated on a small scale rather than used throughout Africa. It is noteworthy that a city running exclusively on cryptocurrency is non-existent. Akon has stated that the project is to be used as a “test market” for the viability of cryptocurrency in Africa. Akon gave insight to the long-term goal of the project, stating “If it works, we will scale it out to all the other countries in Africa so all the cities are connected. It’s going to be a 50- to 100-year project, most likely.”
We continue to watch this space.
Africa In Development 