These football stars who invest in Africa
By taking the initiative to invest in his native village, Bambali, Sadio Mané is taking a new direction in his personal and professional trajectory. With the SM10 Agro project, the Senegalese international is not only preparing for his post-career career. Sadio Mané intends to transform part of his income and his notoriety acquired on the lawns into a real lever for territorial development. Other African professional footballers had already shown the way.
Sadio Mané, entrepreneurship at the service of the community
With an announced investment of 11.7 billion CFA francs in a vast agro-industrial project devoted in particular to the processing of mangoes, the Senegalese international, Sadio Mane has reached a new milestone. This project is a winner from every point of view. It will help support its community, by providing it with a source of income but will also help consolidate its professional reconversion.
Of the 11.7 billion CFA francs of informed investment, within the framework of the SM10 project, 8.7 billion are intended for the factory and 3 billion for the plantation. The agro-industrial park should extend over an industrial footprint of 10 hectares and the plantation will cover 500 hectares. Ultimately, the project will contribute to the creation of thousands of jobs, with particular attention paid to women and young people. It also provides for the planting of 78,000 mango trees and the transformation of local agricultural production, specify the promoters. It should also be noted that Sadio Mane is also the boss of the French club Bourges Football Club Foot 18 which plays in National 1.
Didier Drogba, from football to gold mines
The former captain of the Elephants, Didier Drogba, who played in Marseille, Chelsea, Galatasaray and in North America, has built a heritage beyond football.
In Ivory Coast, his name is associated with several economic and social initiatives. He has notably invested in the mining sector and in real estate. The Ivorian football star has acquired a stake in a company which operates a gold mine in Ivory Coast. His Didier Drogba group bought 5% of capital from the Société des Mines d’or d’Ity (SMI), one of the main companies in the Ivorian gold sector.
Didier Drogba also set up a foundation which is very active in the health sector with the construction of a hospital in Abidjan. Drogba has thus gradually transformed his image as a champion into a real brand, with a presence in several economic sectors.
Samuel Eto’o, a contribution to boosting the telecommunications sector
After Real Madrid, Mallorca, FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Chelsea and several experiences abroad, the former Indomitable Lion Samuel Eto’o launched into entrepreneurship.
One of his most significant experiences in Cameroon was Set Mobile, a telecommunications project in which Eto’o claims to have invested several billion CFA francs of his own funds. The project ultimately did not have the expected trajectory, but it demonstrates a desire to invest directly in the Cameroonian economy. After his career, Eto’o also became interested in the sports betting sector, with the launch of Betoo in Cameroon.
Kolo Touré, a futuristic vision of the retraining of footballers
Former Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool defender Kolo Touré has teamed up with investment company Silk Invest to launch a fund aimed at helping African footballers invest their fortunes on the continent. The African Opportunities for Footballers Fund’s vision is to offer players wealth management solutions and allow them to access African markets. Furthermore, in another sector, as part of the public offer for sale of shares of the company Total Senegal, the Ivorian international had publicly expressed its interest in being one of the subscribers.
Seydou Keïta, from captain of the national football team to captain of Malian industry
After playing in Lens, Sevilla FC, FC Barcelona, China then Italy, the former captain of the Eagles, Seydou Keïta chose to put part of his capital at the service of the Malian economy.
In July 2024, Malian authorities attended the inauguration of its Sanankoroba agro-industrial complex. An investment announced to the tune of 14 billion CFA francs.
The complex includes a shea butter production unit, a refinery, an oil mill, a livestock feed production unit, a packaging unit and a soap factory. After a successful international career, the former footballer became involved in the industrial processing of local raw materials.
Diomansy Kamara, experience serving the new generation of footballers
Diomansy Kamara created, in 2018, a holding company based in Dakar. This structure is divided into two entities: DK Football Management and DFA IMMO. The mission of Holding Diomansy Kamara Africa is to bring a new approach to sports business in the management, advice and support of young footballers in the management of their careers, we can read on the official website of the structure.
Diomansy Kamara also manages, as an agent, the careers of several football players, mainly Senegalese internationals. Among his most notable clients are: Ismaïla Sarr (striker playing at Crystal Palace). Lamine Camara (midfielder playing for AS Monaco) and Nicolas Jackson (Aston Villa). Diomansy Kamara evolved during his career, in these different clubs Red Star, Catanzaro, Modena FC, Portsmouth, West Bromwich, Fulham, Celtic, Leicester City among others.
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