US-Senegalese star says smart city will be built in mould of fictional nation Wakanda

The US-Senegalese music mogul Akon has said he is pressing ahead with lofty plans to create a futuristic Pan-African smart city in Senegal next year, built in the mould of Wakanda - the fictional, technologically advanced African nation depicted in the Marvel blockbuster Black Panther.

The 2,000-acre, surrealist, solar-powered “Akon City”, backed by the Senegalese government and funded by unnamed investors, was first announced by Akon in 2018.