Akon City is promising a bit of everything: a seaside resort, a tech hub, recording studios and even a zone dubbed “Senewood” that developers hope will help develop Senegal’s film industry.

The singer acknowledged the comparisons made between Akon City and the utopian society in “Black Panther,” calling it an “honor.”

Plans eventually call for Akon City to have its own hospital, police station and even its own cryptocurrency already named AKoin. Without giving specifics, the singer also said he’s considering franchising the concept to other countries on the continent.

Akon rose to R&B fame after his 2004 debut album, but has increasingly focused on development projects in Africa in recent years.

In 2014, he started Akon Lighting Africa, which backs solar energy projects in rural area. For him the inspiration was deeply personal: he found his grandmother was still using candles in Senegal to light her home.

“It just doesn’t make sense how 20 years can pass by and the condition doesn’t change,” he said back in 2016.

In Mbodienne, hopes are high that this project will change lives even if two-thirds of the funding needed has yet to be secured.

“We have a lot of hope. Many promised us projects, but we saw nothing,” village chief Michel Diom said.