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Akon Is Launching A Crypto Coin, Building A City, And Wants To Take On Trump, Kanye In 2020

Akon Is Launching A Crypto Coin, Building A City, And Wants To Take On Trump, Kanye In 2020

Written by Dana Sanchez

Jun 19, 2018

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Senegal-born entrepreneur and music mogul Akon is launching a new cryptocurrency called Akoin that he said will further his goals to help Africans.

Akon is beloved in African countries where his Akon Lighting Africa project is bringing solar power to rural areas. As of March 2017, the Akon Lighting Africa fund has provided solar lighting in 25 African countries where rural populations struggle to connect to the grid.

Now Akon is promoting crypto-based apps that offer new “revenue-generating opportunities to stimulate micro-exchanges and financial stability in Africa and beyond,” according to ICO Impact, the site for the new crypto coin.

Akoin will be available for sale in two weeks, Akon said during a panel discussion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France, Page Six reported.

During the same panel discussion, Akon — who has in the past expressed an interest in politics —  said he is ready to take on not just U.S. President Donald Trump, but Kanye West in 2020.

“I actually really want Kanye to run,” Akon said.

Akon Lighting Africa provides scaled solar power solutions throughout Africa. Akoin was created with a mission to empower youth entrepreneurship and economic inclusion, according to ICO Impact.

The site for the new coin says that Akon is building a first-of-its-kind 100-percent crypto-based city called Akon Crypto City with Akoin “at the center of transactional life”:

This futuristic city already in development, beginning with 2,000 acres of land gifted to Akon from the President of Senegal, is within five minutes of the new international airport, close to the coast and a short drive from Dakar, the capital city of Senegal (Akon’s homeland). Akon Crypto City blends leading Smart City planning designs with a blank canvas for cryptonizing our daily human and business exchanges, towards inventing a radical new way of existence.

Blockchain and crypto could be the savior for Africa, Akon said during the panel discussion:

“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.”

When he was asked technical questions about the blockchain, Akon said, “I come with the concepts and let the geeks figure it out,” Page Six reported.

Akon grew up in a Senegalese town that had no electricity.

Who gets a $1B line of credit?

The solar street lamp business, by way of government contracts and tenders, has been a major source of business for Akon Lighting Africa. Those installations and contracts were managed through the company Solektra, which was founded by Samba Bathily, and serves as the business arm of Akon Lighting Africa. Bathily is a Malian entrepreneur and co-founder of Akon Lighting Africa.

Solektra worked out a deal with Chinese suppliers for a $1 billion line of credit, Devex reported in 2016. The company used this as part of a financing package they offered governments as they bid for contracts or tenders. The credit line enabled governments to pay the cost in installments over several years.

Defeating the bully

Back to politics. Akon said he already has his debate planned for the 2020 presidential election, Page Six reported:

“It’s gonna be entertaining, it’s gonna be something worth watching,” he explained. “I’m going to go after Trump and Kanye will get offended because he likes Trump and he’s going to go after me. Then I’m going to go after Kanye and then Trump’s going to get offended because he likes Kanye and he’s going to go after me. And the debate stage will be set where it’s all about me. It’s perfect, a masterplan.”

He continued, “I’m going to come in with a team so crazy, man, it’s all going down. I’m not holding my tongue. The way I look at it, win or lose, at least I get the movement going, I get the conversation going. Someone has to tell [Trump] to his face, what it really is, no politic[al] conversation, no language that we don’t understand, like ‘No motherf–ker, you’re a liar.’”

Akon claimed, “I’m not scared of him. 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.”

https://twitter.com/toyeenbsworld/status/1009094919955378177

 

 

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