The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Gaberone on 12 September 2025, a week after the Botswana Hemp Impact Conference 2025 set out to establish an industrial cannabis framework for the country as well as regional and international relationships.
The MoU is between the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC) and Hemp Innovations Europe (HIE), a Swedish company involved in developing hemp collaboration platforms in Europe.
Party to the agreement was the Office of the President, the Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN), and the National Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NARDI).
Speaking at the ‘handshake’ ceremony, Lands and Agriculture Ministry Deputy Permanent Secretary, Seeng Manne, said the government was developing a framework to guide the establishment of industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis projects.
“The bold decision to allow for licit cultivation of industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis will allow for more diversity in agricultural production, create sustainable jobs and bring investment into Botswana,” she said.
Manne called on government agencies involved in the project to “be agile and work with speed” to ensure its smooth implementation, adding that her ministry is ready to facilitate and resolve challenges that investors may face.
Founder and CEO of Hemp Innovations Europe, Clas Dahlin (pictured here with senior Agriculture official Seen Manne on his right), expressed appreciation for the government’s role in enabling the investment. He commended Botswana’s institutions for collaborating to create a favourable environment for the hemp industry.
“For the Botswana Government to explore potential in the hemp industry shows a paradigm shift in how to build the economy,” he said.
Dahlin added that Hemp Innovations Europe was committed to laying the foundation for the hemp industry in Botswana, pointing to its potential role in economic diversification.
Trade and Entrepreneurship Ministry Permanent Secretary Joel Ramaphoi, described the development as “a testament of implementation of government pronouncement to allow for licit growing and processing of industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis”.
Ramaphoi highlighted the wider impact of the decision, noting that “industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis have a multiplier effect on job creation, investment, and creation of industrial linkages”.
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