Senegal is building a massive £1.6bn utopian city in a bid to ease the residential and commercial clutter in the capital of Dakar.

Diamniadio Lake City is a government-approved futuristic township based in Diamniadio. Spanning an impressive 6.1 miles, Diamniadio is expected to resolve the congestion in the capital city, Dakar, which is less than 20 miles away.

Dakar was built in the 19th century with the aim of accommodating 300,000 residents but today over three million people live there.

The city has seen a rapid population growth as Senegal’s administrative and economic facilities are here, making it a magnet for people to flock too. The population here has increased by a whopping 1.68 million since 2000. 

As a result, house prices are soaring, and land prices have tripled in the past decade. This has led to slum development, poor infrastructure, and challenges, with water supply and sanitation, as well as overcrowding and congestion. 

It is hoped Diamniadio will help ease some of these pressures and house an approximate 350,000 people.

Already built is the Diamniadio Olympic Stadium, also known as the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium which can host association football, rugby and athletics in Diamniadio.

The sprawling city is estimated to generate 23,000 jobs. The city will be divided into four autonomous districts, which will  function as cities within the city of Diamniadio.

In the first district, you have the Abdou Diouf Conference Centre; it was officially inaugurated in December 2014 and is named after Abdou Diouf, who served as President of Senegal from 1981 to 2000.

You will also find the Diamniadio Exhibition Centre, the Ousmane Tanor Dieng Ministerial Sphere and the United Nations House. It is hoped this area will host many international tourist events and exhibitions.

Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow University is located in the second zone. The university was inaugurated on December 1, 2022 and will eventually host 30,000 students.

The second ministerial sphere of Diamniadio and the Abdoulaye Wade Stadium are under construction in this district.

The third district will act as the industrial hub, with the APROSI international industrial park and the Market of National Interest both here.

Finally, the fourth district is designed to be the business district. It will house major banks and insurance companies and will also have major schools, hospitals, shopping cnetres and sports facilities.

Located here will be SD city, the residential zone which will have over 6,000 housing units by 2035. It will have schools, hospitals, mosques and a shopping centre.