Senegal cancels Akon’s $6 billion planned smart city project.

Senegal has canceled Akon's $6 billion plan to build "Akon City," a futuristic smart city project on the country's Atlantic coast. 

The project, which was announced in 2020, promised to transform the village of Mbodiène into a modern hub powered by solar energy and Akon's cryptocurrency, but due to years of inaction and missed payments, prompting the government to reclaim most of the land allocated for the project.

The government has now decided to pursue a scaled-down, state-backed tourism project in the same area, with a budget of $1.2 billion, and the new project is expected to generate up to 15,000 jobs in its first phase.

Meanwhile, Akon will retain a small portion of the land, which will be integrated into the broader development.

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