Senegal football star Sadio Mané has taken another major step in his commitment to his hometown of Bambali after launching a multi-million-dollar agro-industrial project designed to transform the local mango industry and create thousands of economic opportunities.
The project, known as SM10 Agro, represents an investment of about 11.7 billion CFA francs, approximately $20.4 million, and is being developed in Bambali, in Senegal’s southern Sédhiou region.
Construction of the agro-industrial complex officially began on September 19, 2026, with the project expected to combine mango cultivation, processing, training and research under one development plan.
The ambitious project will include a 500-hectare mango plantation, with approximately 78,000 mango trees expected to be planted. The first harvest from the new plantation is projected in about three years.
Beyond cultivation, SM10 Agro will establish processing facilities designed to turn locally produced mangoes into several products, including mango pulp, dried mango and mango butter. The project is also expected to include facilities for sorting and preparing fresh mangoes for export.
One of the most significant aspects of the investment is its potential impact on employment.
Mané has said the project is expected to create more than 1,000 direct jobs, with additional employment opportunities expected through transportation, agricultural supply chains, services and other activities connected to the agro-industrial complex.
The project will also feature an agricultural training centre aimed at young people and women in the region. According to the project plans, the centre will provide opportunities for people to acquire skills linked to modern agriculture and agro-processing.
For Mané, the investment is about more than establishing another business.
The Senegalese footballer has repeatedly invested in his hometown, but SM10 Agro represents a different approach because it is designed to create a sustainable economic operation capable of generating employment and adding value to agricultural products produced locally.
“I want the wealth of our land to remain here, with us in Senegal,” Mané said while presenting the project, according to Senegal’s national news agency APS.
The choice of mangoes is also closely connected to the agricultural challenges facing the Sédhiou region.
The region produces significant quantities of mangoes but loses a substantial portion of its harvest because of inadequate storage and processing infrastructure. Mané said between 30 and 40 per cent of mangoes in the region can be lost because farmers lack sufficient facilities to preserve and process the fruit.
By processing mangoes locally, SM10 Agro aims to reduce those losses while creating products that can be stored for longer periods and sold in different markets.
The planned processing operation will therefore allow farmers to move beyond relying solely on fresh mango sales. Mango pulp, dried mango and mango butter can be marketed as value-added products, potentially giving producers access to wider domestic and international markets.
Reports on the project indicate that the products are expected to be sold in Senegal and exported to markets across Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
The development will also include a research and development component, alongside staff accommodation and other supporting infrastructure.
The project is expected to take approximately 18 months to construct, according to Senegalese media reports.
Government agencies are also supporting the investment. The Senegalese investment promotion agency, APIX, has indicated that SM10 Agro will benefit from provisions under the country’s investment framework, including tax and customs exemptions for certain imported equipment for a period of five years.
The scale of the project reflects Mané’s growing involvement in economic and community development outside football.
The former Liverpool and Bayern Munich star has previously supported major projects in Bambali, including a school, hospital, mosque and other community facilities. His latest investment moves further into productive economic activity by attempting to build an agricultural value chain around one of the region’s most important crops.
Rather than simply supporting individual families or funding infrastructure, the footballer is now investing directly in farming, processing, training and employment.
The project could therefore create opportunities at several stages of the agricultural chain, from farmers producing mangoes to workers involved in transportation, processing, packaging and distribution.
The 500-hectare plantation is expected to provide a significant supply of mangoes for the processing facilities, while the centre’s training and research components could help improve agricultural practices among local producers.
SM10 Agro’s promoters have also described the project as a territorial economic development initiative rather than simply a personal investment by the footballer.
That distinction highlights the wider ambition behind the project. The objective is to establish an agro-industrial ecosystem that can involve farmers, workers, young people, women, transporters and other businesses in the region.
For Bambali, the development could become an important new source of economic activity if the planned employment and production targets are achieved.
For Mané, meanwhile, the project offers another way of contributing to the community where his journey began.
The footballer has spent much of his career representing Senegal on the international stage and playing for some of Europe’s biggest clubs. His success has also enabled him to invest significant resources back into his hometown.
Now, through SM10 Agro, he is attempting to turn that success into a long-term agricultural enterprise.
The project is expected to process thousands of tonnes of mangoes annually, with one industry report putting the planned processing capacity at about 8,500 tonnes per year. Senegal’s APS reported a figure of 10,500 tonnes annually, alongside plans for an additional 3.22 billion CFA francs in investment, indicating that the project’s capacity may expand as development progresses.
Whatever the final production capacity, the scale of the investment is substantial.
From football stadiums to mango plantations, Sadio Mané is now building a legacy that extends beyond sport. His latest venture is aimed at keeping more of the value generated by Senegal’s agricultural resources within the country while creating jobs and opportunities for people in his home region.
As construction progresses, Bambali will be watching closely to see whether the ambitious SM10 Agro project can deliver on its promise of transforming mango production into a larger, locally driven agro-industrial business.
For Mané, however, the message behind the investment is already clear: his ambitions for Bambali extend far beyond football.
