When I was little I enjoyed playing SimCity and turn-base-strategy games such as Heroes of Might and Magic, Disciples, etc. Was really entertaining to build your own city, or to build you castle, with towers, turrets, markets and obviously a tavern where your heroes can drink a pint.
Things get real if you are a billionaire philanthropist, and instead of playing games ... you really build your own city. In 2018, when Akon announced he was working with the Senegalese government to build a tourist city with crypto-based economy, the project looked like a fairy tail. Two years later, the philanthropist singer finalized the agreements with the Senegal President and the project is underway.
Who is Akon?
Akon is a is a Senegalese-American singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, philanthropist and actor from New Jersey, born on the 16th of April 1973. His full name is Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam. He conquered the music charts with songs like "Lonely", "Smack That!" and "I Wanna Love You, being the the first solo artist to hold both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts ... not once .... but twice. He was also listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the #1 selling artist for master ringtones in the world.
Reaching fame didn't made Akon a spoiled brat, made him a philanthropist. He started the "Akon Lighting Africa" project in 2014, which currently provides electricity in 15 countries, and his own charity for underprivileged children in Africa called Konfidence Foundation.
Akon City - behind the scenes
Akon City project was designed as a three square miles of land minutes from the Blaise Diagne International Airport, and just 50 km from the capital of Dakar. The city will be powered by Akoin, Akon's own cryptocurrency.
It’s Akon city. It’s all renewable, the Akon-tainment solar city. It’s all renewable. A real physical place, it’s going to have a real airport. It’s a 10-year building block so we’re doing it in stages. - Akon
On January 13, 2020, Akon shared on Twitter that the agreements for his city in Senegal have been finalized and the project is underway. The agreement was made directly with Macky Sall, Senegal's president.
Few days ago, the contract for building and executing the city was awarded to KE International, an United States-based consulting and engineering firm. The city’s Phase 1 includes the construction of roads, the hospital, the mall, residences, hotels, a police station, a school, a waste facility, and a solar power plant. This phase is expected to be completed before the end of 2023.
Akon City’s phase 1 is expected to complete by end of 2023, and will see the construction of roads, a Hamptons Hospital campus, a Hamptons Mall, residences, hotels, a police station, a school, a waste facility and a solar power plant.
Phase 2 will run finish by 2029 and will end with a complete cryptocurrency city running exclusively on AKOIN cryptocurrency. For this phase, KE International has secured $4 billion from investors. Dubai based Bakri & Associates Development Consultants will lead the architectural designs of Akon City under KE International’s guidance.
Akon City phase 2 will run from 2024 to 2029 and will end with a complete cryptocurrency city running exclusively on akoin cryptocurrency.
What is Akoin
Akoin will be a Akon's stablecoin, built on the Stellar payment network. The philanthropist hopes that Akoin will be used over the whole of Africa, where much of the population is not using banks, but smart phones are widely used. Users will access the coin through a digital wallet, and transactions will have minimal cost. Under the moto "One Africa. One Koin", the Akoin wants to provide a more trusted currency alternative that enables entrepreneurs to build and grow their business, implementing technology that will allows users to seamlessly exchange cryptocurrencies, prepaid minutes, and fiat currencies. The Akoin marketplace aims to be the market leader for DApp/App-based services in lean economies such as Africa.
The Akoin cryptocurrency will also to be used in Mwale Medical and Technology City (MMTC), a green city based in Western Kenya, which KE International is also building. Commenced in 2014, the construction project is 85% done and expected to complete in December 2020.
Akoin is a cryptocurrency powered by a marketplace of tools and services fueling the dreams of entrepreneurs, business owners, and social activists as they connect and engage across the rising economies of Africa and beyond.
The 2020 Q1 includes the Token Generation Event Announcement and the Whitepaper release. In the second quarter will hopefully listed on exchange platforms and MVP public beta platform will be launched. The next quarters will include the launch of Akoin payment/ID card, POS expansion and the launch of the DApp builder tool.
Meanwhile in the USA ...
While the project may seem sci-fi, the integrating of block-chain technology into city building has been gaining traction in recent years. Tom Wiscombe Architecture and Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects (EYRC) are planning and designing an Ethereum powered city in the Nevada Desert. Lets hope will offer free tours in Area 51, and some Alien-themed fridge magnets.Coinbase Earn - up to $59 Compound (COMP)
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i really wonder if he can pull if off...such an ambitious project!