Senegal building a new $2 billion City of Diamnadio, a futuristic city, to help deal with congestion in the country’s capital, Dakar

By Samuel Abuya

Senegal is building what has been termed as a new smart city and an economic hub for the country costing an estimated 2 billion US dollars. Among other reasons, the City of Diamnadio is being built to help ease congestion in the country’s capital, Dakar, a city that is estimated to be home to more than 3 million people.

The City of Diamnadio is also expected to play a big role in addressing the sorry state of housing in Dakar for a majority of people living there. Housing in the capital is unattainable for many people with prices soaring high every now and then.

The Senegalese government is also looking forward to building an express railway line linking Dakar and the airport that is under construction in the City of Diamnadio as well. ideused

The City of Diamnadio project was first given a green light back in 2013 and was officially launched in 2014. It is expected that the new city will include affordable houses, a university, an industrial park and a number of entertainment facilities.

The City of Diamnadio, which will sit on a 4,000 acres of land and is almost 20 miles away from Dakar, is expected to be complete by the year 2035 with the minister in charge of the project saying last year that the new city is 80% complete.

Critics of the project, however, say Diamnadio’s 2 billion US dollars cost will sink the West African country into further debt which is already standing at nearly 61% of the country’s GDP.

Africa Global News Publication