丨塞内加尔达喀尔

Pop star Akon set to break ground on Senegal's first LEED-certified crypto-city

A rendering of the forthcoming Akon City in Senegal. Image courtesy of Hussein Bakri/BAD Consultant/Semer Group.

Global pop star Akon and Senegalese government officials are readying to break ground on a new ground-up 2,000-acre sustainable tourism city near the country's capital, Dakar.

Just finalized the agreement for AKON CITY in Senegal. Looking forward to hosting you there in the future

— AKON (@Akon)

January 13, 2020

that the musician-turned-businessman and government officials recently signed an official agreement initiating the development of the city. In a tweet marking the occasion, Akon writes, "Just finalized the agreement for AKON CITY in Senegal. Looking forward to hosting you there in the future." The project is being developed with the help of SAPCO, Senegal's state-owned tourism company, Africa News

Proposed renderings of Akon City. Image courtesy of Hussein Bakri/BAD Consultant/Semer Group.

Renderings for the development include a large lake surrounded by several blocks of whimsical mid-rise towers. The lake is flanked by a large structure containing a shopping mall while other blocks contain hotels, residential towers, and other commercial areas.

Akon City is planned as the continent's first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (

) and is being designed to run entirely on renewable energy. The city will also make use of a proprietary

called AKoin as part of a pilot project aimed at testing the introduction of digital currencies in

, where Akon was born and spent part of his childhood. Akon, whose real name is Aliaume Thiam, originally announced the crypto-city concept back in 2018 at the Cannes Lions festival of creativity, CNN

. At the time, Akon argued that the cryptocurrency connection could "be the saviour for

in many ways because it brings the power back to the people," adding, ‘‘Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology offer a more secure currency that enables people in Africa to advance themselves independent of the government."

Views of individual buildings planned for Akon City. Image courtesy of Hussein Bakri/BAD Consultant/Semer Group.

The venture marks the latest effort by the artist to branch out into development and humanitarian-oriented endeavors and follows the

project, an initiative that aims to help bring electrical power to over the 500 million people in Africa who live without electricity. The initiative, which will play a role in making Akon City off-the-grid and sustainable, helps to electrify rural areas through the installation of solar powered street lights and small-scale solar installations in homes and towns.

The Akon City project is being developed in phases, according to an interview with Power 106 (below), with the first phase of the project already underway—though it is unclear if ground has official broken at the site—and a second phase set to get underway in 2025. Akon projects that the project will be completed in ten years.