Senegalese-born American singer Akon is planning to build a smart city in Senegal. The project, which is estimated to cost about $6 billion, will be built on a 2,000-acre futuristic metropolis. The smart city, called “Real-Life” Wakanda, will contain an artificial-intelligence data center, a stadium, a hospital, offices, condos, and a luxury resort. Residents in the city will be paying for any service via the singer’s cryptocurrency called Akoin.
The project will be heavily funded by a Kenyan entrepreneur who has had a history of the alleged fraud.
Read more: Singer Akon Plans $6 Billion Futuristic City In Senegal
At an average of 10% of GDP, Senegal’s ICT investments easily beats South Africa, Kenya, Egypt, and the world average
All too often conversations on the digital scene in Africa look to the East - focusing on the gains being made in Rwanda and Kenya in particular.
When they do go West, Nigeria takes precedence because of the sheer size of the country’s economy and population, dwarfing the remarkable progress made by (Francophone) Senegal, which is not fully acknowledged in both the dominant regional and international technology press that is written in English.
Read more: Viva Senegal: How this West African nation became Africa's quiet high-tech titan
However, the Gods of technology have heard Mariam Thiam’s prayers and have responded. Thiam (40), mother of five and involved in a polygamous marriage, has lived to tell the tale of being able to now read – though gradually – the SMSes coming through her cellphone thanks to the National Literacy Programme for Youth and Adults Based on ICTs (PNEBJA-TIC in its French acronym).
The event is themed ‘digital transformation, a source of growth and competitiveness for Senegal’.
Read more: Senegal’s national digital strategy in spotlight at ICT forum
Mit diesem Schritt will die Behörde in erster Linie vermeiden, unbezahlbar teure Lizenzen für proprietäre Software erwerben zu müssen. Vertreter der Regierung haben laut NetworkWorld erklärt, daß sich Senegal als unterentwickeltes Land sieht, das nicht über genug Mittel zur Anschaffung von Softwarelizenzen besitzt. Mit Open-Source-Software (OSS) entfällt dieses Problem.