Senegal Terminates Akon’s $6 Billion Crypto City Amid Debt Crisis Shifts to Tourism Hub
Senegal has terminated Akon’s ambitious $6 billion crypto city project in Mbodiène, marking the end of a seven-year vision that once promised a blockchain-driven metropolis dubbed a “real-life Wakanda.” The government has reclaimed most of the 136-acre land allocated to the venture in 2020, redirecting efforts toward a smaller, tourism-focused development led by private investors. While Akon retains ownership of eight hectares, the project’s original grandeur—including solar-powered infrastructure, a hospital, university, and Akoin cryptocurrency ecosystem—has been abandoned. The decision follows years of delays, unmet financial commitments, and Senegal’s worsening debt crisis, which has constrained public investment and…