Akon's entrepreneurial and philanthropic work continues to scale new heights as he recently revealed that he will be launching a new cryptocurrency called "AKoin" which will even compete with the likes of Bitcoin. The development will result into a growth of crypto-based apps which will bring more economic power to Africa.
At a time where many people are able to identify a host of problems bedevilling Africa, but without offering real and substantive solutions, Akon seeks to bring tangible solutions to the continent. Akon is mostly known for his music, but his entrepreneurial endeavours have seen him striving to bring some feasible and viable solutions to the fore.
Akon has spent many years running Akon Lighting Africa Project, which commenced in 2014, to provide electricity through harnessing solar energy in Africa. This time around, he has shifted his focus to crypto-currency, and he harbours ambitions to build a Wakanda-like crypto-city which will use cryptocurrency in Senegal.
He revealed his plans to create a crypto-currency at the the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity last week. He announced that AKoin will be up for sale in the next two weeks. "I think that blockchain and crypto could be the savior for Africa in many ways because it brings the power back to the people and brings the security back into the currency system and also allows the people to utilize it in ways where they can advance themselves and not allow government to do those things that are keeping them down," Akon said.
With this will come a futuristic town being developed in 2,000 acres in Senegal alluded to before. The city is a gift to Akon by Senegal's president Macky Sall. The AKoin website read, "AKoin is a new cryptocurrency from visionary changemaker Akon and is the foundation of the AKoin Ecosystem -- a unique global project that offers an abundance of digital and in-real-life platforms and experiences that create opportunity and inclusion for youth entrepreneurs by allowing consumers to buy, hold, and spend cryptocurrency right from their smartphone through a suite of blockchain-powered apps."
It continued, "The AKoin Ecosystem unlocks the potential of the world's largest emerging economy through the creation of a stable currency and innovative, revenue-generating opportunities that stimulate and support youth entrepreneurship, economic stability, and growth across Africa and the world...And while the opportunities to buy, hold, and spend Akoin to power youth entrepreneurs on the digital platform and from anywhere in the world are vast, consumers will also be able to engage with AKoin in an entirely new way when they visit the real-life Wakanda of Akon Crypto City."
Akon is a man on a mission, a man with burning zeal to be the change he wants. Apart from the digital currency plans, Akon also wants to run for the post of president in the United States. "I’m not scared of him [Donald Trump]. I would invite him into the ring. You know what? Matter of fact, let’s just go in the ring, Pay-Per-View… you guys can decide whether it’s gonna be a boxing match or MMA. Someone’s got to defeat the bully," Akon remarked.
Will anything stop Akon? We pretty much doubt that. He presents alternative solutions to the problems that Africans face everyday, particularly the youth. He really is a man on a mission. And will he become US president? Only time will tell.