SADIO MANE LAUNCHES $20M AGRO-INDUSTRIAL PROJECT IN SENEGAL HOMETOWN

Senegalese football star Sadio Mane has launched a major agro-industrial project worth about $20.4m in Bambali, his hometown in southern Senegal, as he expands his investments beyond football. The project, known as SM10 Agro, was launched on September 19 in the Sedhiou Region and is designed to strengthen agricultural production, create employment and increase the amount of locally grown mangoes that can be processed within the region.

The project will include a mango processing facility with an estimated annual capacity of 8,500 tonnes. The plant is expected to produce mango pulp, dried mango and mango butter, while the wider development will feature a 500-hectare plantation dedicated to Kent mangoes. The initiative is being developed in Casamance, one of Senegal’s major mango-producing areas, where limited processing and storage facilities have contributed to substantial post-harvest losses.

Mane said the investment was driven by his desire to contribute to the development of the community where he grew up and to build a legacy beyond his achievements on the football pitch. At the launch, he said he did not want to be remembered only for the goals and victories of his football career, stressing that Bambali was where his dreams began. He said the project was intended to create jobs, support agriculture and ensure that more value from the area’s agricultural production remained within the community.

The need for the project is linked to the significant amount of fruit lost annually in the region because of inadequate farming practices, transportation difficulties and limited processing outlets. Senegal reportedly loses between 30 and 45 per cent of harvested fruit each year, while existing mango-processing facilities in Casamance are concentrated mainly around Ziguinchor. The new facility is expected to provide another outlet for locally produced mangoes, including fruit that may not qualify for export to European markets because of phytosanitary requirements.

The investment also comes as Senegal’s mango export sector works to recover from previous difficulties caused by fruit-fly infestations and other challenges affecting access to European markets. The country exported about 27,000 tonnes of mangoes in 2021 before volumes declined, but exports to Europe reportedly increased to more than 19,000 tonnes in 2026 from about 14,000 tonnes the previous season following improved measures to control fruit flies. Mane’s project is therefore expected to add processing capacity while creating employment and supporting agricultural activity in his home region.