Akon has revealed that he has stopped actively discussing his project, Akon City, stating concerns that it has become a target for misrepresentation and misinformation.

During an appearance on Kid L’s podcast, Akon opened up about the futuristic city he initially announced in 2018, envisioned to be inspired by the concept of Wakanda. He explained why he has since scaled back on promoting the project.

He shared that the project’s growing popularity turned it into a target. Around the 27-minute, 40-second mark of the podcast, he elaborated, saying: “I stopped promoting it because I realized that the more I promoted it, the more popular it got — and it started to become a target.”

Akon went on to speak about the challenges Africa faces within global systems, mentioning that its abundant resources are often exploited while local development remains stifled. He emphasized that initiatives like Akon City aim to instill confidence and inspire progress among the people, but this also draws scrutiny and opposition.

“Africa is one of those kinds of places that the system had a design to keep it down because of all of the resources, and how they could leverage it,” he continued. “Projects like this, all it has to do is spark confidence in the people.”

“I kind of already saw where it was going, so I said, ‘OK, let me just back off the marketing approach and just allow it to be done,’” Akon continued. “I realized that the more they knew what I was doing, the more the sabotage started to come. I started to see a lot of fake news and bots online.”

Amid the spread of critical headlines — claiming that the city wouldn’t be built or that land was being seized — Akon opted to shift strategies. Instead of fighting growing misinformation, he chose to pull back on marketing and “allow it to sizzle itself off.”

Since its ambitious debut, Akon’s $6 billion city project has encountered numerous challenges. The first phase of construction was set for completion in late 2023 but missed its timeline due to delays and controversy.

Earlier legal troubles also came to light when a former business partner sued Akon over a multimillion-dollar settlement claim. These allegations included concerns about Akon City and its associated cryptocurrency, Akoin, being potentially fraudulent ventures likened to pyramid schemes.

Other complications have included land rights disputes and issues tied to a $2 million loan from Senegalese President Macky Sall and the Society for the Development and Promotion of Coasts and Tourist Zones.

According to their agreement, if progress on the project failed to meet the completion target by 2023, the contract would be terminated — a deadline that has since lapsed.