In brief
- Blockchain messaging app Sense Chat has partnered with Akoin as one of its first dapps.
- Sense chat looks to become the de facto messaging system for the highly ambitious Akon City.
- Akon City is underway after being awarded a $6 billion construction contract.
Blockchain messaging app Sense Chat has partnered with Akoin, the flagship crypto project of America philanthropist and singer-songwriter Akon, to bring private, decentralized messaging to the African market.
With lofty ambitions of financial sovereignty, the Akoin cryptocurrency and wallet ecosystem will eventually act as the fundamental currency of Akon City—the Senegalese settlement established by none other than Akon.

Akon wants his cryptocurrency to power the whole of Africa
Akon, the rapper-turned-crypto entrepreneur who’s building an entire city in his own name in Senegal, announced today that yet another African city will run on his cryptocurrency, Akoin. Akoin, which is currently in beta and will launch later this year, will power the Mwale medical and technology city (MMTC), a $2 billion science and tech hub in Western Kenya. MMTC is “the Hamptons of New York in Kenya,” according to a 2018 promotional video that describes the vision of its creator, Julius Mwale...
Positioning itself as the de facto messaging service of Akon city, Sense Chat breaks ground as one of the first decentralized applications (dapp) within the Akoin network.
Built on the EOSIO blockchain, the crypto-enabled decentralized messaging service allows users to freely and privately text and video chat via an encrypted protocol. Additionally, users can discover each other and build communities through public channels.
Sense Chat also comes equipped with an integrated wallet and native cryptocurrency, dubbed SENSE, allowing community builders, brands, and influencers to reward followers for contributing—key facets of Akoin's community-building ethos.
"We are beyond excited to partner with Sense Chat at Akoin," said Lynn Liss, Akoin's COO & co-founder. "Building a passionate community, including secure messaging, are critical features for social ventures such as Akoin to succeed.”
“Having a product of Sense Chat's quality, with cutting edge activation features, available within the Akoin ecosystem will benefit our users massively. We're looking forward to bringing this to life with the Make Sense Labs team," she added.
https://t.co/qFgTJvXJtM pic.twitter.com/sJ98plUOWc
— AKON (@Akon) June 15, 2020
Akon City recently secured a $6 billion contract for construction, awarding it to KE International—a US-based engineering and consulting firm.
The first phase of Akon City, pegged for completion in 2023, will see the construction of roads, residences, hotels, a police station, and a school, among other integral infrastructure. The second phase will run from 2024 to 2029, ending with a fully complete city running solely on Akoin.

Rapper Akon kicks off construction for world's first "crypto city"
Africa is to get the world’s first “crypto city.” Musician and entrepreneur Akon tweeted on Monday that he now has official approval to build “Akon City” in Senegal. Just finalized the agreement for AKON CITY in Senegal. Looking forward to hosting you there in the future pic.twitter.com/dsoYpmjnpf — AKON (@Akon) January 13, 2020 The singer is of Senegalese descent and first revealed plans for Africa’s most futuristic metropolis over 18 months ago. At the time, he said the city will be built...
"Akoin is a revolutionary cryptocurrency venture poised to bring meaningful social impact across Africa," said Autumn Penaloza, Sense Chat Partnerships Manager "As avid supporters of self-sovereignty and community empowerment, Sense Chat makes a powerful, natural alignment to help Akoin engage their audience and drive adoption."
With the addition of Sense Chat, Akon city is one step closer to realization—that $6 billion construction contract is likely to help as well.