Senegal football star Sadio Mané has launched a $20.4 million agro-industrial project in his hometown of Bambali, marking a major expansion of his investments beyond football and into agriculture.
The CFA11.7 billion project, known as SM10 Agro, was launched on September 19 in Bambali in Senegal’s southern Sédhiou Region, with the facility designed to process locally produced mangoes and create employment opportunities.
The project will include a processing plant capable of handling about 8,500 tonnes of mangoes annually and producing mango pulp, dried fruit and mango butter.
It will also feature a 500-hectare plantation dedicated to Kent mangoes, positioning the project to combine agricultural production with industrial processing.
Mané said the investment was driven by his desire to contribute to the development of Bambali and create an economic legacy that extends beyond his achievements on the football pitch.
The Senegalese star said he wanted his hometown to benefit from the opportunities created by its agricultural resources while helping young people access employment and productive economic activities.
The investment is particularly significant for Casamance, one of Senegal’s leading mango-producing regions, where limited processing capacity has contributed to substantial losses of harvested fruit.
Estimates cited by the Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale indicate that Senegal loses between 30 and 45 per cent of harvested fruit annually due to factors including farming practices, harvesting challenges, transportation difficulties and insufficient processing outlets.
The new facility is expected to provide an additional outlet for mangoes that might otherwise be lost, including fruit that does not meet the phytosanitary requirements required for some European markets.
A 2023 study by the Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale found that mango-processing facilities in Casamance were concentrated mainly around Ziguinchor, while Sédhiou and Kolda had considerably less processing capacity despite their agricultural production.
The study also highlighted difficulties in accessing packaging and labelling services within the region, forcing some processors to source those services from Dakar and increasing their production costs.
By locating a large processing operation in Bambali, the SM10 Agro project is expected to bring more stages of the mango value chain closer to where the fruit is produced.
The project comes as Senegal’s mango export industry continues to recover from challenges that previously affected access to European markets, particularly problems associated with fruit flies.
Senegal exported about 27,000 tonnes of mangoes in 2021 before export volumes declined during subsequent difficult seasons.
Exports to Europe reportedly increased to more than 19,000 tonnes in 2026 from approximately 14,000 tonnes the previous season, following improved phytosanitary measures and stronger efforts to control fruit-fly infestations.
The new investment could therefore support both domestic processing and export opportunities by creating products with greater value than unprocessed fresh mangoes.
Beyond mangoes, the broader project is expected to strengthen agricultural activity in the area by creating demand for local production, processing services, transportation and other businesses connected to the agricultural value chain.
Mané has previously invested in community projects in Bambali, including education, healthcare and other social infrastructure, but the agro-industrial project represents a shift towards a large-scale commercial investment designed to generate ongoing economic activity.
The footballer’s move also reflects a growing trend among African athletes and public figures who are directing part of their earnings into businesses and development projects within their home countries.
For Bambali, the project offers an opportunity to retain more of the economic value generated from local agricultural production instead of relying primarily on the sale of raw produce.
For Mané, the investment adds a new dimension to a career that has already made him one of Senegal’s most prominent football figures, while placing agriculture and local manufacturing at the centre of his next business chapter.