Page 16 - IAV Digital Magazine #513

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Singer Akon is Spending
$6 Billion to Build A
“Real-Life Wakanda” in Senegal
Recording artist Akon has big plans for his upcoming smart city in Senegal. The new $6 bil- lion development is called Akon City and will fulfill the star’s wish to provide a refuge for members of the African Diaspora both near and far. In addition to the
2,000-acre resort, condos, and sta- dium, the metrop- olis is also planned to run on renewable energy and mainly use Akoin—the singer’s own cryptocurrency. After two years of planning and development, Akon has announced that they are breaking
ground in 2021.
Akon believes that Africa, and his home of Senegal especial- ly, is long overdue for economic investment. He is calling the forth- coming locale a “real-life Wakanda” and plans for it include a tech hub and
“Senewood” to develop the film industry. Imagery by Bakri & Associates visual- izes the unusual and futuristic forms that define the development and complement Akon's forward- thinking choices.
This massive construction undertaking is
geared towards stimulating the local economy and creating jobs for local workers. Many have praised this and are excited for the prospect of Akon City. But there are also some
skeptics. Papa Massama Thiaw, a councilor and president of the
youth commission for Ngueniene, shared that though many community mem- bers are opti- mistic, there is a lot of uncertainty. “The studies that were done were not in collabora- tion with the com- mune of Ngueniene,” he says. He also fears that jobs won't be equally distributed. “I don’t want us to be just day labor- ers. We have to be among the managers.”
But despite the critics, Akon is confident in his project. He's secured about a third of the fund- ing needed and is already interested in franchising the concept for other countries on the continent.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine