Remember Akon? He’s the guy who sung on Eminem’s ‘Smack That’ and Lady Gaga’s ‘Just Dance’ and in 2018 made headlines for his “serious consideration” in running for the President of the United States in the 2020 Election.
Well, it’s 2020 and while Akon might not be POTUS (yet) he does hold the keys to Africa’s first ever “crypto city.”
Earlier this week, Akon tweeted, “Just finalised the agreement for AKON CITY in Senegal. Looking forward to hosting you there in the future.”
According to Billboard, AKON CITY will be Senegal’s first “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) city,” and will use its own cryptocurrency, aptly called ‘Akoin.’
It might sound a bit random, but Akon’s city is actually being built for a good cause. Billboard reports that when it’s finished “it will be the first city to ever run on 100 percent renewable energy.”
Speaking at the Cannes Lion Festival in 2018, Akon said “I think that blockchain and crypto could be the saviour for Africa in many ways because it brings the power back to the people.”
“Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology offer a more secure currency that enables people in Africa to advance themselves independent of the government,” he added.
Business Insider states that the “Akoin ecosystem,” will not only serve as a form of currency but “a way to establish credit, borrow money, access government services and more.”
Over the course of 2020, Akon is planning to “expand Akoin, find partners, and continue to develop the crypto city designs.”
Pretty unexpected stuff from the guy who sung “Smack that, all on the floor, smack that, give me some more,” but it sounds like Akon has done his fair share of research.
Who knows, maybe we’ll all be paying for things with Akoin in the future.