10 African celebrities making major investments beyond entertainment

• African stars are increasingly diversifying their wealth into sectors such as football, fintech, agriculture, fashion, media, hospitality and consumer goods.

• Tems, Sadio Mané, Didier Drogba and Mr Eazi have some of the most clearly documented investments, including ownership in San Diego FC, Bourges FC, the Ity gold mine and African tech companies.

• Ghanaian stars including Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy and Sarkodie have also ventured into businesses ranging from ride-hailing and smartphones to rice production and fashion.

While some celebrities have established companies themselves, others have taken ownership stakes or invested through investment firms. However, not every commercial association amounts to an investment, so claims of ownership should be treated carefully.

Here are African celebrities with publicly documented business ventures and investments.

Nigerian Afrobeats star Burna Boy has expanded his activities into film through Spaceship Films, a production company associated with him and his mother, Bose Ogulu.

Spaceship Films served as an executive producer on the 2024 Pan-African film Three Cold Dishes, marking Burna Boy's move further into the film industry.

Claims that Burna Boy owns ventures such as Moon Ultra, BrkFst, a football academy or specific real-estate holdings are not sufficiently documented in reliable public sources to present them as confirmed investments.

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Wizkid has repeatedly taken his Starboy brand into fashion.

In 2019, he collaborated with Amsterdam-based fashion brand Daily Paper on a limited-edition Starboy collection featuring clothing and accessories. Daily Paper itself describes the collaboration as a seven-piece collection.

Wizkid has also been associated with Starboy-branded football apparel, including a Nike collaboration. However, these are best described as fashion collaborations and commercial ventures rather than confirmed equity investments.

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Senegalese football star Sadio Mané has one of the clearest examples of celebrity sports investment.

In October 2023, he became the majority shareholder and owner of Bourges Foot 18, a French club competing in the country's lower divisions. The investment was formally announced at a press conference in Bourges.

The club was subsequently renamed Bourges FC. The club's official history identifies Mané as its majority shareholder and says his involvement is central to its new direction.

Mané has also discussed plans connected to developing a football academy in Senegal.

Claims about his ownership of a fuel station and Le Boudhie bakery could not be verified strongly enough to include as confirmed investments.

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Ghanaian dancehall star Shatta Wale has increasingly positioned himself as an entrepreneur.

He is involved in Shaxi, a Ghanaian ride-hailing platform, and in 2026 disclosed that he is a majority shareholder of Hotwav in Ghana, a smartphone business that has expanded into local assembly.

Hotwav Ghana has described Shatta Wale as a co-owner and brand partner, while reports from the company's Ghana operations say the business is targeting local manufacturing and job creation. (

The claims surrounding Waya and specific real-estate holdings are less clearly documented publicly, so they should not be presented as confirmed investments without additional evidence.

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Music executive Don Jazzy has expanded into football with Supremos FC, a team founded to compete in Nigeria's Lagos Liga.

The club was registered for the private football competition in 2024, giving Don Jazzy another venture outside the music business.

His wider entrepreneurial career has included entertainment and consumer-focused ventures, although claims about specific businesses such as Jazzy Burger and Drip Beauty Soap need stronger current documentation before being described as active investments.

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Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Tems made a major move into sports ownership when she joined the ownership group of San Diego FC.

Through her company The Leading Vibe, Tems became a Club Partner in the Major League Soccer side. San Diego FC officially confirmed her addition to the ownership group. ([sandiegofc.com][10])

The move made Tems one of the African entertainment figures with a documented ownership position in a major US professional sports franchise.

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Mr Eazi is arguably one of the most active African musicians in venture investing.

He founded Zagadat Capital, an investment vehicle focused on African businesses, and the firm participated in the $9 million seed round for fintech company pawaPay.

His investment activities have extended beyond pawaPay. Reports have linked Zagadat Capital to companies including Eden Life, Vydia and Cape Town Tigers, among others.

Mr Eazi has also built emPawa, an initiative focused on supporting African musical talent.

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Ghanaian dancehall star Stonebwoy has expanded into agribusiness.

He has confirmed that he co-owns LILO Rice with his wife, Dr Louisa Satekla. The company produces and distributes packaged Ghanaian rice.

Stonebwoy has also been commercially linked to Big Boss Energy Drink. However, the relationship should be described carefully: public records confirm a licensing/brand partnership, while reports at the time said he acquired a franchise.

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Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie has previously ventured into fashion through Sark by Yas, a clothing line launched in 2013.

The brand offered clothing and accessories and represented one of his earliest moves into building a business around his personal brand.

It is safer to describe Sark by Yas as a documented past fashion venture rather than imply that it is currently operating at the same scale.

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Togolese football icon Emmanuel Adebayor has also been associated with agricultural ventures in his home country.

However, unlike some of the other entries on this list, the specific claims about SEA Farm are not sufficiently supported by strong current primary sources for me to present ownership details as established fact.