By the way, in 2018, @BBCAfrica reached out to Akon and the Senegalese government to find out more about Akon's cryptocurrency and Akon City, but didn't get much. So the team went digging. THREAD.

1. It was said - Akon City would be on 2,000 acres (reportedly gifted to Akon by the President) near the new international airport. There was also to be a complex near the sea in partnership with state-owned tourism company SAPCO. It wasn't clear whether it was the same project.

2. There was some controversy. Videos of Akon City online looked like 'Diamniadio Lake City' - a $2 billion project by Semer Group backed by govt. Semer Group told BBC it had nothing to to with Akon. (Akoin later removed the images from their website).

3. News co. @africanews visited the Diamniadio site towards end of 2018. It was under construction, on 4,000 acres, and was to have a new airport, passenger rail, housing and commercial space. Almost everything that was mentioned would be in 'Akon City'.

4. Akon said 'Akon City' would run on the cryptocurrency AKOIN. However, when asked for details he admitted 'he left the geeks to figure it out'. Michael Kimani, from @BlockchainKenya said Akon's desire to move Africa from dependence on Western currency was 'pie-in-the-sky'.

5. Akoin relies on smartphones to work. So the question was how many people can afford it or actually download it. US' Pew Research Centre showed less than 40% of Senegal had a smartphone. Ruling out that the entire city or country could at any point be run through an app.

I interviewed Akon in 2015 for 'Akon Lighting Africa'. Great, optimistic man! While announcements give us a sense of hope imagining self-sustaining cities (yes, Wakanda) right in the heart of Africa, let's track & hold each other to account, to do things right in the new decade.

AKON CITY UPDATE: The contract to build Akon city has been given to KE International (US-based). That name might sound familiar - it’s the same company behind Mwale Medical & Technology (green) City in Western Kenya - construction supposedly began in 2014. https://www.prweb.com/releases/ke_international_awarded_us_6_billion_construction_contract_for_akon_city_senegal/prweb17165260.htm

UPDATE: The akoin cryptocurrency (AKN) is now trading on the Bittrex Global exchange. It’s also launched in Mwale Medical & Technology City (MMTC - in Kenya’s Kakamega town) as a pilot for Akon City.

The investor; Julius Mwale, says they’ll EXCLUSIVELY use AKOIN by end of 2021.

In case you missed it: Akon’s latest interview on Akon City.

$4 billion secured, for development on land given by Senegal’s President (that had been allocated for something else), funded by a controversial donor, to build a city that will rival Dubai & Singapore. Ok. Via CNN.