Singer Akon Says Committed to Plans of Building ‘Wakanda’ in Senegal After Years of Delay
Singer Akon poses for photographers upon arrival at the European MTV Awards in Seville, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019. 
Muhammad OsmanIn 2018, American-born rapper and pop singer of Senegalese descent Akon revealed plans for a futuristic and innovative city, claiming that it would be a “Crypto city”, where residents would conduct all monetary transactions in “Akoins”. The new $6 billion project, called Akon City, will be situated in Ngueniene, a coastal municipality in Senegal.Senegalese-American rapper and pop star Akon, full name Aliaune Damala Thiam Akon, reaffirmed his commitment to his plans of constructing a “real-life Wakanda” in Africa, a city named after him: “Akon City”.The artist told the media this weekend that his initial plans were pushed back two years due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). However, he argued that he “would have gotten more things in place” before promoting his Wakanda-like city to the world.“I plan to retire in that city,” said Akon. “I don’t like to use the word the ‘king’ of the city, but that’s what it will turn out to be.”The world-famous rapper of Senegalese origins assured that he and his team are “trying to get the city built as fast as possible,” adding that a 50-year lease on the land has already been “co-signed by the current president” of Senegal. At the present time, the land, where Akon’s futuristic and innovative city is set to stand remains a waste ground open for grazing goats, according to local media reports.“We believe in Akon city, and we are all supporting Akon so the Akon city will come to life,” Me Aliou Sow, CEO of the Senegal government’s tourist board SAPCO, said. “It will attract tourists and investors in the region, and SAPCO is fully committed to the success of this project.”Akon, whose net worth is estimated to be between $60-80 million, said that the project’s construction firms and architects have now been changed in favor of new partners that have a better understating of the African continent and “real credibility globally.”“We want the big skyscrapers. My goal is to try to build something that people deem impossible in Africa, right?” Akon stated, promising that excavation work on the site will finally start before the end of the year. He added that further announcements regarding the start of the construction work itself will follow in the near future.
AfricaSinger Akon Plans to Build $6 Billion ‘Real-Life Wakanda’ in Senegal, Reports Say29 December 2020, 06:02 GMTSpeaking of the “Akoin”, the cryptocurrency that in which Akon City’s residents were set to conduct all monetary transactions, the pop icon conceded that the Akoin project “wasn’t being managed properly,” adding that he takes “full responsibility” for making it up for the project donors.“Even if I gotta go in my own pocket,” Akon added. “I’m dead serious. I would do a world tour just to pay them all back.”Powered by a blockchain-based ecosystem of services and tools for entrepreneurs in economies of Africa and beyond, the Akoin cryptocurrency was officially launched on Bitmart in September 2021 with its initial value of $0.28. But soon, the new cryptocurrency was significantly affected by a crash in the wider cryptocurrency market, which resulted in it decreasing in value to $0.017 as of December 25.
