The famous rapper Akon is immersed in a colossal project, to build a luxury city in Senegal, 100 kilometers from Dakar.
Dreaming of a better world is within everyone’s reach. Participating in this iconic visualization seems easy, for example, contributing our grain of sand in those actions that lead to the improvement of the current situation, such as putting on masks and keeping social distances, this is a subliminal message, eh? But I go around the bush and do not talk about the news of the month, of the year and, perhaps, of the century: The new city of Akon City already has the first stone.
Akon City, the new and futuristic city of Senegal
The news began to unfold in 2018, when rapper and businessman Akon, whose real name is Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam, unveiled his plans for Senegal’s Atlantic coast. He, who lived his childhood in Senegal and triumphed in the United States, has not stopped loving the land where his parents were born. For this reason, it wants to provide it with a better future by creating, nothing more and nothing less, than a futuristic African city, energy sustainable, and whose economic operation is through cryptocurrencies called Akoins.
The city will be located in the coastal demarcation called Mbodiene, about 100 kilometers from Dakar, the capital of Senegal. In round numbers, the businessman has calculated that an investment of 6,000 million dollars, 5,068 euros, will be necessary for his megaproject. An amount that could forever change the status of a nation that is experiencing a desperate situation due to Covid-19. It is not surprising that the country’s president himself, Macky Sall, has energetically supported the project, providing the land for future construction.
Akon City already has its first stone
The dream already has its first stone. This was placed on August 31, with great ceremony and pageantry, as required by the occasion, according to Akon himself. The project has a third of the required capital thanks to some partners who have chosen not to give their names, and others who have been delighted to do so, such as businessman Julius Mwale or the Senegalese tourism agency, SAPCO.
The location of the complex allows easy access from anywhere in Africa. It is surrounded by a beautiful natural landscape, which will be accompanied by more trees and native flowers, in addition to taking advantage of its proximity to the sea to create a port.
Rapper Akon’s big dream
The creation and planning of this megaproject also has its own name: Hussein Bakri. This architect of Lebanese-American origin has developed the Bakri & Associates Development Consultants studio and put a look to each and every one of the buildings and infrastructures that appear in the images in the article, in addition to interpreting the illusions of the most famous rapper in Africa who, Among other things, it owns a solar electricity supply company on the continent, whose mission is to power 600 million Africans
If you’re wondering who the hell Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam is, we’ll tell you that his fame comes from his role as a songwriter and producer, in which he has worked with renowned artists, such as Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie or Snoop Doog. In addition, on her KonLive label, Lady Gaga has recorded two of her albums, The Fame Monster and Born This Way. As you can see, his fame is more than guaranteed in the music scene.
A city with modern and sustainable infrastructures
The invaluable collaboration of the company KE International, an American engineering and infrastructure consultancy, will make the project an example of a renewable and sustainable plan, since the company is specialized in these matters.
.This is one of the strengths of the future mega-complex. From its inception, it is expected to lead Senegal’s technological innovation, in addition to making exquisite use of natural resources, seeking certification as a Leader in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
To achieve this laudable goal, Akon city will provide the country with the necessary industry and will construct the residential buildings, to the extent possible, with local labor and materials. The design of the city is based on the history and culture of the country, evoking in the different designs the flora and fauna of the region, with geometric similarities of the figures carved by the natives of the place. In short, give the feeling of belonging to Africa from its conception.
Akon City’s basic infrastructure will be ready in 2023
According to the consultancy, the works will begin next year, ending the first phase at the end of 2023, with the execution of basic infrastructures: roads, a solar power plant, a garbage treatment facility; the Hamptons Hospital campus, built in 2,019; a shopping center, houses, hotels, a school and the police station. In short, everything that can provide the future city with the most basic needs or, in other words, the foundations of phase two.
This phase will involve the execution of parks, schools, universities, a multipurpose stadium, hotels, and an industrial estate, the part that will make Akon city a great city. It has not yet been said when the jewels of the city will be executed, the four filming studios, with more than 30,000 total square meters for filming; the Media Tower, with 28,000 square meters of space to entertain the body and mind; or the main building in the city, the Akon Tower, a double building with 68 floors and 144,000 square meters of surface for retail, hotel, offices, residences, restaurants, Spa area and, of course, the exclusive Akon Club.
The city that will bring the future to Africa
We cannot stop naming another exquisite idea: the technological district, which will be the key that will open the future to the country and, perhaps, to the continent. For now, we have to settle for the tempting infographics of the architecture studio, which show us a dreamy place, winding, warm, full of green spaces and free areas. Will it be possible to create something like that?
There are voices in Africa that claim that this is not the way, but in my opinion, however megalomaniac the project may seem, it can provide a better future for the region. We just have to wait and see if Akon’s dreams come true… and many Senegalese.