According to The Sun, Senegalese star Sadio Mane, currently playing for Saudi club Al Nassr, has begun to build his career beyond football. He has invested £15 million to launch an agricultural project called "SM10 Agro," focusing on mango cultivation and processing to help develop his hometown of Bambali and surrounding areas.

Mane, 32, left Bayern in 2023 to join Al Nassr, where he currently plays alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. Reports indicate his weekly salary in Saudi Arabia is approximately £650,000.

Mane's agricultural project plans to create 1,000 jobs, with operations covering mango plantations, processing plants, and an agricultural college.

Explaining his investment rationale, Mane said: "30% to 40% of the mangoes grown in the Sedhiou region are wasted because they cannot be properly stored and processed."

"I want the wealth created by our land to remain in Senegal. This project will create 1,000 jobs from the start."

"We will build processing plants in Bambali, one of which will specialize in mango butter. Additionally, a 500-hectare mango plantation will be established, and an agricultural college will be founded. I hope young people and women in our region will have genuine access to education."

Beyond the direct jobs created by the project itself, Mane noted that transportation and distribution services related to SM10 Agro will indirectly create additional employment opportunities.

Aminata Tope, Deputy Director of SM10 Agro, revealed: "We will plant 78,000 mango trees, with the first harvest expected in 3 years. The agricultural college will also establish an R&D center, and the factory's annual production capacity will reach 10,500 tons."

West Africa is rich in mangoes, which, beyond direct consumption, can be used to produce beverages, desserts, chutneys, and cosmetics, among other products.

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