$6 Billion: Construction of Akon’s Pan-African City Project in Senegal Kick Started in the First Half of 2021

By Abdul Rahman Bangura–

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Freetown, Sierra Leone- The Novel Coronavirus vermin (COVID-19) might have harshly affected the multinational frugality with crucial reverses. On this note, it doesn’t discouraging musician and business magnate – Alliums Damala Badara Akon Thiam , from captaining forth with his blueprints of establishing a Pan-African City in his home nation of Senegal.

In an interview with the Associated Press on Monday, the Locked Up singer, who spent most of his childhood in the West African nation, revealed the construction of the $6 billion project will commence early next year.

The Locked Up Singer, who’s a 47-year-old musician, born Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam, shared his plans of building the city in 2018, describing it as an “a real-life Wakanda” in citation to the Afro-futuristic city in Marvel’s movie, Black Panther. He also let out, the city will use a cryptocurrency called AKoin.

Akon added that, he wished the project would generate jobs for denizens in the French West African nation as well as serve a “home back home” for Black Americans and their people in the diaspora who are being racially discriminated against.

“The system back home treats them unfairly in so many different ways that you can never imagine. And they only go through it because they feel that there is no other way,” asserted Akon.

“So if you’re coming from America or Europe or elsewhere in the diaspora and you feel that you want to visit Africa, we want Senegal to be your first stop.”

The singer, who traveled to the site of the project in Mbodienne with government officials on Monday, August 31st, 2020 explained he has been able to amass one-third of the $6 billion desired for the project. Nonetheless, he did not disclose the investors, saying non-disclosure agreements are in effect.

Senegal’s Tourism Minister, Alioune Sarr also said the project couldn’t have come at a better time. “COVID-19 has sown doubt everywhere. This means that those who had doubts about the attractiveness of Senegal, and Africa in general, convince themselves that there are men and women who believe in Africa,” he let out to the Associated Press.

It would take over three years for the first phase of the project to be completed once construction begins. The city will have facilities including a hotel that would have rooms designed specifically for each of the 54 African countries, a seaside resort, a tech hub, a movie hub known as “Senewood” as well as recording studios, among others.

Over the past few years, Akon has ventured on some developmental projects across the African continent. In 2014, the singer launched his Akon Lighting Africa project aimed at providing electricity by solar energy in Africa. The initiative, which was inspired by the need to light up his grandmother’s house back in Senegal has financed various solar lighting projects across African countries including Mali, the Republic of Guinea, Benin, Senegal, Niger, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Congo-Brazzaville, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Madagascar, and Namibia.

“It was a way of just trying to figure out what solution would be necessary to get electricity there,” Akon explained about the project. “In the process, you start to realize how many people are out there lacking electricity, especially in Africa.”

For New Africa Daily News Abdul Rahman Bangura Reports,  Africa Correspondent

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