Latest news with #AliouneBadaraThiam
Daily Mirror
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Epic £4bn seaside city with bendy skyscraper designed by Akon suffers huge blow
Celebrity singer-songerwriter Akon has been left red-faced after his ambitious plans to build a futuristic seaside city to the tune of £4.4bn has descended into chaos Ambitious plans to build an uber-futuristic city by the coast to the tune of $6 billion (£4.4bn) has hit a major setback. Bizarrely spearheaded by singer-songwriter Alioune Badara Thiam (commonly known as Akon), the mega project aimed to transform an 800-hectare site in Mbodiène - a seaside city in Senegal, Africa - into a modern metropolis run entirely on renewable energy. Mock prints of the development - which has been compared to the fictional city of Wakanda from the Marvel universe - show an unusually bendy skyscraper dominating the centre, alongside a slew of equally Black Mirror-esque buildings and green spaces. Back in 2022, the Smack That star said his eponymously named 'Akon City', was '100,000 per cent moving' despite no significant construction following the initial launch ceremony. Phase one of the bold development was supposed to see a hospital, shopping mall, police station, school, waste station and solar plant all completed by the end of 2023. However, after five years of constant setbacks, it's clear Akon City remains a mere dream - as the site in Mbodiène remains 'mostly empty'. It is said the only structure in place is an 'incomplete reception building'; roads, housing, and even a power grid have yet to be established in the area - provoking outrage from those living nearby. "We were promised jobs and development," one local resident told the BBC. "Instead, nothing has changed." Serigne Mamadou Mboup, head of Senegal's tourism development body, Sapco, confirmed to the publication that Akon City 'no longer exists'. Officials blamed a lack of funding and halted construction efforts for the project being shelved. However, it says it has now reached an agreement with the celeb - who spent his childhood between Senegal and the US - to produce a more 'realistic project' that can still benefit the area. Specific details on how much the project would cost, or when it is expected to be finished, have yet to be confirmed. When Akon City was announced, plans for residents to use a brand new cryptocurrency called Akoin as as their primary payment method were also unveiled. According to the BBC, there have been questions over whether this would even be legal, as Senegal currently uses the CFA franc, which is both regulated and issued by the Central Bank of West African States. Akoin has also struggled to repay its investors over the years, with Akon reportedly admitting: "It wasn't being managed properly. I take full responsibility for that."
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Akon's futuristic $6bn city project in Senegal abandoned, BBC told
10 Design Architecture Plans for a futuristic city in Senegal dreamt up by the singer Akon have been scrapped and instead he will work on something more realistic, officials say. "The Akon City project no longer exists," Serigne Mamadou Mboup, the head of Senegal's tourism development body, Sapco, told the BBC. "Fortunately, an agreement has been reached between Sapco and the entrepreneur Alioune Badara Thiam [aka Akon]. What he's preparing with us is a realistic project, which Sapco will fully support." Known for his string of noughties chart hits, Akon - who was born in the US but partly raised in Senegal - announced two ambitious projects in 2018 that were supposed to represent the future of African society. The first was Akon City - reportedly costed at $6bn (£5bn). It was to run on the second initiative - a brand new cryptocurrency called Akoin. Initial designs for Akon City, with its boldly curvaceous skyscrapers, were compared by commentators to the awe-inspiring fictional city of Wakanda in Marvel's Black Panther films and comic books. But after five years of setbacks, the 800-hectare site in Mbodiène - about 100km (60 miles) south of the capital, Dakar - remains mostly empty. The only structure is an incomplete reception building. There are no roads, no housing, no power grid. "We were promised jobs and development," one local resident told the BBC. "Instead, nothing has changed." Meanwhile the star's Akoin cryptocurrency has struggled to repay its investors over the years, with Akon himself conceding: "It wasn't being managed properly - I take full responsibility for that." There had also been questions over whether it would even be legal for Akoin to operate as the primary payment method for would-be residents of Akon City. Senegal uses the CFA franc, which is regulated and issued by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), and like many central banks has expressed opposition to cryptocurrency. The plans for Akon City had been sweeping. 10 Design Architecture Phase one alone was to include a hospital, a shopping mall, a school, a police station, a waste centre, and a solar plant - all by the end of 2023. Sitting on Senegal's Atlantic Coast, Akon's high-tech, eco-friendly city was supposed to run entirely on renewable energy. But despite Akon's insistence in a 2022 BBC interview that the project was "100,000% moving", no significant construction followed the initial launch ceremony. Now the Senegalese government has confirmed what many suspected - the project had stalled beyond recovery. Officials cited a lack of funding and halted construction efforts as key reasons for the decision. Although Akon City as it was originally imagined has been shelved, the government says it is now working with Akon on a more "realistic" development project for the same site. The land near Mbodiène remains of high strategic value, especially with the 2026 Youth Olympic Games approaching and increased tourism activity expected. You may also be interested in: Akon's Wakanda, grazing goats and a crumbling crypto dream Born in France but searching for a future in Africa US basketball training for Senegal cancelled after visas rejected Senegal starts producing oil as president promises benefits Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Senegal Africa United States
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Akon's futuristic $6bn city project in Senegal abandoned, BBC told
Plans for a futuristic city in Senegal dreamt up by the singer Akon have been scrapped and instead he will work on something more realistic, officials say. "The Akon City project no longer exists," Serigne Mamadou Mboup, the head of Senegal's tourism development body, Sapco, told the BBC. "Fortunately, an agreement has been reached between Sapco and the entrepreneur Alioune Badara Thiam [aka Akon]. What he's preparing with us is a realistic project, which Sapco will fully support." Known for his string of noughties chart hits, Akon - who was born in the US but partly raised in Senegal - announced two ambitious projects in 2018 that were supposed to represent the future of African society. The first was Akon City - reportedly costed at $6bn (£5bn). It was to run on the second initiative - a brand new cryptocurrency called Akoin. Initial designs for Akon City, with its boldly curvaceous skyscrapers, were compared by commentators to the awe-inspiring fictional city of Wakanda in Marvel's Black Panther films and comic books. But after five years of setbacks, the 800-hectare site in Mbodiène - about 100km (60 miles) south of the capital, Dakar - remains mostly empty. The only structure is an incomplete reception building. There are no roads, no housing, no power grid. "We were promised jobs and development," one local resident told the BBC. "Instead, nothing has changed." Meanwhile the star's Akoin cryptocurrency has struggle to repay its investors over the years, with Akon himself conceding: "It wasn't being managed properly - I take full responsibility for that." There had also been questions over whether it would even be legal for Akoin to operate as the primary payment method at Akon City. Senegal uses the CFA franc, which is regulated and issued by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), and like many central banks has expressed opposition to cryptocurrency. The plans for Akon City had been sweeping. Phase one alone was to include a hospital, a shopping mall, a school, a police station, a waste centre, and a solar plant - all by the end of 2023. Sitting on Senegal's Atlantic Coast, Akon's high-tech, eco-friendly city was supposed to run entirely on renewable energy. But despite Akon's insistence in a 2022 BBC interview that the project was "100,000% moving", no significant construction followed the initial launch ceremony. Now the Senegalese government has confirmed what many suspected - the project had stalled beyond recovery. Officials cited a lack of funding and halted construction efforts as key reasons for the decision. Although Akon City as it was originally imagined has been shelved, the government says it is now working with Akon on a more "realistic" development project for the same site. The land near Mbodiène remains of high strategic value, especially with the 2026 Youth Olympic Games approaching and increased tourism activity expected. Akon's Wakanda, grazing goats and a crumbling crypto dream Born in France but searching for a future in Africa US basketball training for Senegal cancelled after visas rejected Senegal starts producing oil as president promises benefits Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Focus on Africa This Is Africa
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Akon City: Wakanda-style $6bn project abandoned by Senegal
Plans for a futuristic city in Senegal dreamt up by the singer Akon have been scrapped and instead he will work on something more realistic, officials say."The Akon City project no longer exists," Serigne Mamadou Mboup, the head of Senegal's tourism development body, Sapco, told the BBC."Fortunately, an agreement has been reached between Sapco and the entrepreneur Alioune Badara Thiam [aka Akon]. What he's preparing with us is a realistic project, which Sapco will fully support."Known for his string of noughties chart hits, Akon - who was born in the US but partly raised in Senegal - announced two ambitious projects in 2018 that were supposed to represent the future of African society. The first was Akon City - reportedly costed at $6bn (£5bn). It was to run on the second initiative - a brand new cryptocurrency called designs for Akon City, with its boldly curvaceous skyscrapers, were compared by commentators to the awe-inspiring fictional city of Wakanda in Marvel's Black Panther films and comic books. But after five years of setbacks, the 800-hectare site in Mbodiène - about 100km (60 miles) south of the capital, Dakar - remains mostly empty. The only structure is an incomplete reception building. There are no roads, no housing, no power grid."We were promised jobs and development," one local resident told the BBC. "Instead, nothing has changed."Meanwhile the star's Akoin cryptocurrency has struggle to repay its investors over the years, with Akon himself conceding: "It wasn't being managed properly - I take full responsibility for that."There had also been questions over whether it would even be legal for Akoin to operate as the primary payment method at Akon City. Senegal uses the CFA franc, which is regulated and issued by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), and like many central banks has expressed opposition to plans for Akon City had been sweeping. Phase one alone was to include a hospital, a shopping mall, a school, a police station, a waste centre, and a solar plant - all by the end of 2023. Sitting on Senegal's Atlantic Coast, Akon's high-tech, eco-friendly city was supposed to run entirely on renewable despite Akon's insistence in a 2022 BBC interview that the project was "100,000% moving", no significant construction followed the initial launch the Senegalese government has confirmed what many suspected - the project had stalled beyond recovery. Officials cited a lack of funding and halted construction efforts as key reasons for the Akon City as it was originally imagined has been shelved, the government says it is now working with Akon on a more "realistic" development project for the same land near Mbodiène remains of high strategic value, especially with the 2026 Youth Olympic Games approaching and increased tourism activity expected. You may also be interested in: Akon's Wakanda, grazing goats and a crumbling crypto dreamBorn in France but searching for a future in AfricaUS basketball training for Senegal cancelled after visas rejectedSenegal starts producing oil as president promises benefits Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
