Senegalese football star Sadio Mané is investing 11.7 billion CFA francs, approximately $20 million, in SM10 AGRO, a large scale agro industrial project in his hometown of Bambali, in Senegal’s Sédhiou region. Presented in Dakar on September 17, the project is designed to strengthen local agricultural production and processing, with mangoes at the centre of the planned value chain. Business Insider Africa reported that Mané highlighted the significant post harvest losses affecting mango production in the region, with as much as 30 to 40 per cent of the crop reportedly lost because of inadequate storage and processing infrastructure. The foundation stone for the project is scheduled for September 19, with construction expected to take approximately 18 months.
SM10 AGRO is expected to combine agricultural production, food processing and skills development, creating more than 1,000 direct jobs at launch and potentially reaching about 2,500 jobs as operations mature. The project will include four processing units with an estimated annual processing capacity of 8,500 tonnes, producing value added mango products while creating opportunities for local farmers. Reports also indicate plans for a 500 hectare mango plantation and an agricultural training centre. The project is being supported by Senegal’s investment promotion agency APIX, with the authorities indicating that it qualifies for five years of tax and customs exemptions under the country’s investment framework.
For Mané, the investment represents a move from philanthropy and community development into productive investment and agricultural value creation. The footballer has previously funded infrastructure and social projects in Bambali, but SM10 AGRO places his capital directly into a commercial sector with potential implications for employment, food processing and agricultural exports. The project is also designed to produce mango purée, dried mango and mango butter for domestic and international markets, helping shift more value from raw agricultural production towards local processing. As Mané put it, the ambition is to ensure that more of the value generated by the region’s agricultural resources remains within Senegal.
