Akon's dream of building a futuristic African city just crashed and burned. The superstar rapper wanted to create a $6 billion smart city in Senegal that looked like Wakanda from the movies. Senegalese officials killed the project after years of empty promises and no real progress. The site remains empty except for one half-finished building that stands like a monument to failure. Akon had promised hospitals, schools, shopping centers and solar power stations powered with his cryptocurrency.
The music mogile launched his grand plan back in 2018 and swore it would be done within five years. Construction never really started despite all his bold claims about the project moving forward at full speed. Government officials blamed money problems and construction delays for scrapping the entire plan. The land that was supposed to become a gleaming metropolis sits barren and forgotten. Akon recently admitted he made a huge mistake promoting the city before construction even began.
His troubles in Senegal have created major headaches for a similar project in Uganda. More than 10,000 local residents are fighting against plans to build another Akon city near Kampala. The angry villagers blocked government surveyors from measuring their land and refuse to move from their homes. Local leaders say the government never asked them about giving away their ancestral burial grounds and sacred trees to the American celebrity.
The music mogile launched his grand plan back in 2018 and swore it would be done within five years. Construction never really started despite all his bold claims about the project moving forward at full speed. Government officials blamed money problems and construction delays for scrapping the entire plan. The land that was supposed to become a gleaming metropolis sits barren and forgotten. Akon recently admitted he made a huge mistake promoting the city before construction even began.
His troubles in Senegal have created major headaches for a similar project in Uganda. More than 10,000 local residents are fighting against plans to build another Akon city near Kampala. The angry villagers blocked government surveyors from measuring their land and refuse to move from their homes. Local leaders say the government never asked them about giving away their ancestral burial grounds and sacred trees to the American celebrity.
