Rapper Akon revealed plans last week for a futuristic $6 billion city in his home country of Senegal. The rapper, whose real name is lioune Badara Thiam, bills the town as a “home back home” for people of African descent living in the U.S., Europe as well as other places.
Akon told a news conference on Monday he had laid the first stone for the city in the Atlantic Ocean village of Mbodiene, which is about 60 miles south of the capital Dakar.
The project is reportedly slated to cost $6 billion but Akon would not name the principal investors because of confidentiality clauses.
“We are still talking with partners and investors,” Akon said.
The solar-powered Akon City will offer hotels, a university, hospitals, business and leisure centres including a casino, as well as movie studios, all featuring futuristic designs by architect Hussein Bakri, with African sculptures for inspiration.