Senegal has officially cancelled the high-profile “Akon City” project and reclaimed the allocated land, citing lack of progress and overly ambitious goals.

The futuristic city, first announced in 2018 by U.S.-Senegalese singer and entrepreneur Akon, promised state-of-the-art infrastructure including a hospital, shopping mall, and tech hub powered by renewable energy and a cryptocurrency called Akoin. The development was hailed as a bold vision for African innovation and economic transformation.

However, after years of delays, legal challenges, and funding shortfalls, authorities say the project has failed to meet even the most basic development milestones.

“There has been no credible progress on the ground, and the promises made have not been kept,” a senior government official told local media. “We have therefore taken back the land to use it for projects that meet the immediate needs of Senegalese citizens.”

The scrapped site, located near the coastal city of Mbodiene, was originally intended to span over 800 hectares and cost more than $6 billion. It was marketed as a Pan-African smart city that would attract global investment and tourism.

A similar Akon-backed project in Uganda has also run into trouble, stalling amid land disputes with local residents.

While Akon’s vision once captured the imagination of many as a symbol of African progress and self-reliance, critics say the project lacked transparency and a realistic execution plan.

With the Senegalese government now shifting focus to more practical infrastructure development, the collapse of Akon City serves as a cautionary tale about the gap between celebrity-driven ambition and on-the-ground realities in African development.