In January 2026, Botswana’s government announced the country had formally joined the growing family of cannabis cultivating nations by proclaiming local regulations and conditions of entry to citizens and the wider world.
But three months down the line, the disquiet that marked the drafting, negotiations and adoption of the Cannabis Act and Regulations 2025 framework refuses to go away.
In the latest challenge to government’s claims of transparency and the induction of an equitable industry, a leading Botswana newspaper has questioned the ownership of the local cannabis industry. This has prompted a response from a leading investor stakeholder, reiterating its supposed independence while denying accusations of fronting.
In a commentary on 30 March 2026, the Sunday Standard notes “a growing public dispute over ownership” of the local industry and asks “who stands to benefit?” The article was in response to an announcement by Swedish firm Hemp Holding AB, also known as Hemp Innovations Europe(HIE), which on its LinkedIn page stated it had “officially acquired the first licence to cultivate both medical cannabis and industrial hemp in Botswana”.
The claim itself is factually disputable: Lands and Agriculture Assistant Minister Dr Edwin Dikoloti earlier in March told Parliament that Botswana had now issued its second cannabis licence, while referencing the licence granted to the local HIE subsidiary, Hemp Innovations Botswana.
The Minister’s claim confirms media reports which late last year reported the government had already issued a licence to a South African-associated company while binding regulations were still under review.
However, the government did not deny the allegation, with President Duma Boko going on record as saying cannabis was a capital-intensive industry that would be well-served by inviting well-heeled investors on board.
The President was responding to accusations that government was granting elite and politically-connected stakeholders a preferential headstart while the industry had been sold on promises of advancing ordinary Batswana and small farmers’ interests.
This was not a new concern. Opposition parliamentarians and civil society stakeholders had fought tooth and nail during the drafting of the regulations to ensure ordinary Batswana were sufficiently co-opted in the inchoate green economy’s value chain.
The petitioning was also evident in the immediate aftermath of the promulgation of the enabling act. Many Batswana expressed outrage at the high licence fees costs the government published on 12 January 2026. A leading stakeholder, Hemp Business Summit Co-founder and Inaugural Hemp Business Summit CEO Oratile Masala announced he would be launching a formal challenge to have the fees set aside.
The only slight difference is that now, the focus is more on local ownership and the supposed shareholder standing of local entities. “Behind the headlines the company’s name doesn’t exist in Botswana’s official records,” cried the Sunday Standard article regarding the Swedish firm’s credentials.
The insinuation forced the Swedish parent company to issue a statement on 4 April, 2026 imputing the article was inaccurate and misleading.
“HIB confirms that it is a Botswana-registered company with clearly defined ownership and governance structures, verifiable through the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA)”, it stated.
The company added it was currently undertaking a “licensed and controlled CBD pilot project” focused on “validation, compliance and data generation”. It also stated that it was not affiliated to any other projects “referenced in recent media coverage”.
Botswana embarked on a marathon induction of a cannabis economy after the new government was voted into office in late 2024. The small southern African country of over three million has hedged its bets on getting off the ground a sustainable cannabis industry to create jobs and diversify a traditionally diamond-dependent economy as synthetics slow demand for the genuine thing.
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