The hospital is part of the first phase of construction, which Akon says will also include residences, hotels, schools, police and fire stations, an airstrip, a mall and all the other hallmarks of modern-day cities.
He added that his hope is for Senegal to be the go-to tourist destination in Africa as a result of Akon city. Many promised us projects, but we saw nothing,” village chief Michel Diom said. More:'Black Panther' star Chadwick Boseman dies of cancer at 43, “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.”.

According to Forbes, the city will run exclusively on the 'Akoin' which is a digital currency that is now part of the 1,600 cryptocurrencies trading around the world. Set to bring Wakanda, the fictional city at the centre of Black Panther, into reality, the $6 billion project has already secured funding – despite the current pandemic’s effect on global tourism. Akon announced his plans for the futuristic city back in 2018, It's also unclear what percentage of the building materials and construction teams will be sourced locally. This is not Akon's first major investment on the continent. "At a time, in a context where national and international private investment is rare. Plans eventually call for Akon City to have its own hospital, police station and even its own cryptocurrency already named AKoin. Akon is expecting phase 1 to be completed by 2023, and when the city's completed in 2029 it will run entirely on, you guessed it -- akoin cryptocurrency. “It just doesn’t make sense how 20 years can pass by and the condition doesn’t change,” he said back in 2016. 17.1K; 8/11/2020 3:13 PM PT The system back home (in the US) treats them unfairly in so many different ways that you can never imagine and they only go through it because they feel like there is no other way," he explained. A hotel within the city plans to feature rooms decorated for each of the 54 nations of Africa. Senegalese authorities have embraced him as a native son, introducing him by his given name Aliuane Thiam and praising him for investing in Africa at a time of such global financial uncertainty. For centuries they have remained in isolation and are now considered the most technologically advanced nation of the planet. Last updated 3:08 PM, Tuesday September 01 2020 GMT+1. In 2014, he started Akon Lighting Africa, which backs solar energy projects in rural area.


Unlike other cryptocurrencies tied to stable currencies, Akoin is tied to cellphone minutes and relies on the use of smartphones.