Senegal Cancels Akon City Project, Reclaims Land for $1.2 Billion Tourism Development

Senegal’s government has officially scrapped Akon’s $6 billion smart city project, citing stalled progress and unresolved financial issues nearly five years after it was announced.

The ambitious project, unveiled by American-Senegalese singer Akon in 2020, was intended to transform the quiet village of Mbodiène into a futuristic “Wakanda-like” city. Despite being allocated 136 acres of coastal land for the development, little to no construction has taken place since then.

Frustrated by the continued delays, the government has now reclaimed most of the land and replaced the plan with a more practical $1.2 billion resort and tourism hub expected to generate thousands of jobs.

“That project no longer exists,” said Serigne Mamadou Mboup, head of SAPCO, Senegal’s coastal development agency, in a statement to local media.

Authorities had reportedly issued a final ultimatum to Akon last year after financial contributions to SAPCO ceased and construction failed to begin. With no visible progress and investors backing out, the state has transferred the land to SAPCO to lead the newly proposed development.

A Scaled-Down Vision

The revised project, spearheaded by SAPCO, will see 665 billion CFA francs (around $1.2 billion) invested in building a tourism destination. Of that, 600 billion CFA francs will come from private sources, while the Senegalese government will contribute 65 billion.

Although Akon has lost the majority of the land, he will be allowed to retain 8 hectares for a smaller-scale initiative.

Officials maintain that the new plan still holds promise for the local community, with projections indicating that the first phase alone could create approximately 15,000 jobs.

While the dream of Akon City may have faded, the government assures that the people of Mbodiène will still see economic growth — just under a different vision.