Senegalese football star Sadio Mané is investing $20.4 million in a major agro-industrial project aimed at transforming the country’s mango industry and creating new opportunities in agriculture and food processing.
The SM10 AGRO complex, whose foundation stone is expected to be laid on September 19, will include mango sorting and export facilities, processing plants for pulp, dried fruit and mango butter, a 500-hectare plantation and an agricultural college. The project is expected to create about 1,000 jobs, with plans to plant around 78,000 mango trees.
The investment targets a major weakness in Senegal’s mango sector: limited local processing of a highly perishable crop. Although Senegal exports tens of thousands of tonnes of fresh mangoes, only about 2% are processed domestically. SM10 AGRO aims to increase that share by turning mangoes into longer-lasting products that can reach markets in Senegal, across Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
For Mané, the project represents another step in building an investment portfolio beyond football while supporting economic activity in his home country. His previous initiatives in Bambali have included funding a hospital, school and stadium, as well as providing free internet access and assistance to local families.
With its focus on farming, processing, skills development and exports, SM10 AGRO is intended to create value at several stages of Senegal’s mango supply chain. If the planned facilities and plantation develop as projected, the project could mark a significant expansion of Mané’s involvement in agriculture and his broader efforts to invest in Bambali and Senegal’s economy.
