Pictured here: delegates attending the Botswana conference.
Botswana’s Canna-Trade Expo Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp Conference kicks off at Mogobe Plaza, Gaborone CBD, on 30 January 2026.
The expo will be the country’s first cannabis event following the promulgation on 12 January of the Cannabis Act and Regulations 2025, that among others specifies licensing, cultivation, processing, import and export protocols.
The expo is being hosted under the auspices of the Botswana/Canada City Partnership that twins Gaborone with Toronto, overseen by Fidem Advisory. John Chombah is the Partnership Coordinator and CEO and Co-Founder of Canada-Africa Chamber of Cannabis and Hemp, established in 2025. Cannabiz Africa spoke to Chombah in a telephonic interview from Toronto.
He elaborated on the event’s objectives, the way forward and the running theme “The First Mile – Legalising Medical Cannabis and Hemp in Botswana”.
“The main objective of The First Mile is to bring together medicinal cannabis and hemp stakeholders to discuss the new opportunity in Botswana, and deliberate on how Batswana can enter the industry in the different licensed categories: cultivation, medical cannabis (dispensaries), processing, export, import, research and transportation,” he said.
Noteworthy is that the expo marks the first time that medicinal cannabis and industrial cannabis/hemp are being granted equal weight on Botswana’s cannabis calendar. Previous cannabis events have almost exclusively focused on hemp. Interestingly, Botswana has opted for the term “industrial cannabis” rather than the all-too common industrial hemp in its regulations terminology.
Another first is that Johannesburg is a third partner city for the expo as a result of Botswana leveraging South Africa’s vast human and technical cannabis resource base, centred on SA’s biggest city.
As Chombah highlights, the aim is to unlock opportunities for farmers and businesses in Botswana. These include job creation, diversification of income revenue, enhancing farmers’ produce with high value crops and creating a network to assist Batswana find their feet in the new industry.
The expo will not be a once off thing but one event in a series of efforts to facilitate sustainable off-take and value addition in Botswana. There will be workshops and Masterclasses in the year ahead, according to Chombah.
Four main topics will be up for discussion: Botswana Cannabis Act and Regulations, Hemp Offtake Markets, Hemp Value Chain Opportunities and Other High Value Crops (including moringa and mushrooms).
The expo is scheduled to kick off at 9am until 5pm, with an after-party scheduled from 5pm until 11pm. Admission is P1,500 per head.
The Botswana Cultural & Farmers Expo, also organised under the cities’ partnership, will take place alongside the main expo. The same stand fees apply for this event’s exhibitions.
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