SM10 Agro: Sadio Mané received by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye
The day after the laying of the first stone of his agro-industrial project SM10 Agro in Bambali, Senegalese international Sadio Mané indicated that he had been received by the President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye. In a publication on his social networks, he expressed his satisfaction at the end of this meeting, during which the project was notably discussed.
“Delighted and honored to have been received by His Excellency Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, President of the Republic of Senegal,” wrote Sadio Mané. He thanked the Head of State for “his listening, his availability and the attention given” to SM10 AGRO, a project to which he said he attached particular importance.
This meeting comes a few hours after the official launch of the project in Bambali, in the Sédhiou region. The foundation stone laying ceremony was held on Saturday September 19, in the presence of the President of the National Assembly, Ousmane Sonko, and the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Serigne Guèye Diop.
Valued at 11.7 billion CFA francs, SM10 Agro must be established over an area of 500 hectares. The project is mainly oriented towards the production, conservation and processing of mangoes. In particular, it provides for processing units, including one dedicated to the manufacture of mango butter, as well as a training center for agricultural professions and a section devoted to research and development.
According to data presented during the project presentation, the initiative should create more than 1,000 direct jobs at start-up, with a goal of reaching 2,500 jobs over time. A 500 hectare plantation is also planned, with some 78,000 trees announced.
The project is based in particular on the observation of significant losses recorded in the mango sector in the Sédhiou region, due to still limited storage and processing capacities. Sadio Mané had indicated that 30 to 40% of mango harvests could be lost in the region. The stated ambition is therefore to strengthen local processing and retain more added value in the region.
In Bambali, Sadio Mané also presented SM10 Agro as a project intended to create opportunities for young people, women and farmers in the region. “It’s not an individual investment. It is a territorial economic development project,” underlined the general director of APIX, Bakary Séga Bathily, during the presentation of the project in Dakar.
