Akon has spoken out to shut down recent reports claiming that his ambitious “Akon City” project in Senegal has been scrapped by the government.

The reports, which surfaced earlier this month via The North Africa Post, suggested that the Senegalese government had officially pulled the plug on the futuristic, cryptocurrency-powered city and planned to reclaim the land designated for the project. The city, originally announced in 2018, was envisioned as a utopian metropolis reminiscent of Black Panther’s Wakanda, with 550 hectares of coastal land near the village of Mbodiene earmarked for development. Allegedly, the government cited delays and financial obstacles as reasons for the project’s cancellation.

In place of Akon’s plans, Sapco-Senegal — the state agency responsible for tourism and coastal developments — is reportedly moving forward with alternative projects, including new hotels, residential buildings, and a marina.

Despite these claims, Akon has made it clear that Akon City is far from dead. Speaking with TMZ in New York City this week, the singer and entrepreneur addressed the rumors head-on, saying that the project is facing opposition but remains very much alive.

“The impact that it’s gonna do for Africa is kind of shaking up a lot of agendas,” Akon explained. “So you’re gonna see a lot of misinformation on the internet, and I would advise that it’s untrue.”

He went on to emphasize the scale and complexity of building an entire city, particularly in Africa, noting that such endeavors naturally attract skepticism and detractors.

“For the most part, the project is a city, so it’s not gonna stop,” he said. “When you’re doing something that big in Africa, specifically with all these agendas tied to it, they’re gonna try to discredit it for it not to happen. I just need people to be more wise and know that a project like this don’t happen overnight.”

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Akon has previously acknowledged that he may have overhyped the project too soon. In a 2025 interview with AllHipHop’s Chuck Creekmur, he admitted,

“My biggest thing was I promoted it way, way, way too early. Of course, anything that exciting that would change a culture, people will naturally want to know what’s happening right now, assuming that it’s already happening. But it was in a process of creating.”

For now, the timeline for Akon City remains uncertain, but Akon insists that the vision is still moving forward — despite the noise.