Senegalese football star Mané bankrolls $20m into Mango factory

**BAMBALI-(MaraviPost)- **Senegalese football star Sadio Mané is investing U$$20 million of his personal fortune in a mango-processing factory in his home village of Bambali, Senegal, with the project expected to create more than 1,000 direct jobs.

According to Billionaires.Africa, Mané laid the foundation stone for SM10 Agro on September 19, 2026, launching a 500-hectare agro-industrial project designed to process agricultural produce and create new economic opportunities in the region.

The project is valued at 11.7 billion West African CFA francs (CFA francs), equivalent to approximately $20 million and Mané says the investment is being financed entirely from his personal funds.

Construction of the agro-industrial park is expected to take about 18 months before the facility begins full operations.

SM10 Agro is projected to process up to 8,500 tonnes of agricultural produce annually and create more than 1,000 direct jobs, making it one of Mané’s biggest investments in his home community.

Mangoes will form the centre of the project, with the facility expected to produce mango purée, dried mango and mango butter for both domestic consumption and export.

The project will also include guava processing, while four processing units, a training centre and a research operation are planned as part of the agro-industrial park.

Mané’s investment is aimed at addressing a major challenge facing farmers in Moyenne-Casamance, where large quantities of fruit can be lost because of inadequate storage, processing facilities and reliable markets.

The project seeks to change that by allowing farmers to supply a local processing industry instead of depending mainly on the sale of raw agricultural products.

“I want the fruits of the land to stay here,” Mané said, highlighting his ambition to ensure that more value generated from local agricultural production remains within the community.

For Bambali, the investment represents another major chapter in Mané’s contribution to the village, where he has previously financed a mosque, school, hospital, petrol station and bakery.

However, SM10 Agro takes his involvement beyond traditional philanthropy by creating a commercial enterprise focused on production, employment and agricultural value addition.

The project could also generate wider economic activity through transportation, packaging, storage, marketing and exports, while providing farmers with a potential market for their produce.

Mané, 34 years old, is using wealth accumulated during a football career that included spells with Liverpool and Bayern Munich before his move to Saudi Arabia to invest in a productive enterprise in the community where he was born.

The Senegal international retired from Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) football after the 2025 tournament as the country’s record scorer, having registered 52 goals and 31 assists for Senegal, according to the report.

His career has also included a second-place finish in the 2022 Ballon d’Or voting and the 2022 Socrates Prize, in recognition of his social and humanitarian work.

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