SACHIDA is increasingly becoming a force for cross-border African cannabis collaboration (Pictured here are, from the left, SACHIDA Chairperson Katlego Kgopotse, Vice Chairperson Cian McClelland and Executive Member Dinake Motona)
It has now been invited by the Rwandan government to assist that country in developing a coherent licensing and regulatory framework for medical cannabis.
This follows a visit to Rwanda in October 2025 by Druids Garden Holdings CEO Cian McClelland who was there in a dual capacity – to assist long-standing partner Nigeria’s Vie Lifestyle in establishing a facility and ensuring regulatory compliance in applying for one of Rwanda’s first medical cannabis licenses.
McClelland says his Rwanda visit highlighted both the promise and the problems facing the fledgling medical cannabis sector and said the Druids project with Vie Lifestyle was a regulatory pilot project aligned with Rwanda’s long-term national objectives for industrial development, investment attraction, and job creation.
“This invitation opens a pathway for SACHIDA to collaborate with regional governments, not only in Rwanda but across the continent, to help structure the policy, compliance, and industry frameworks that enable responsible growth” says SACHIDA.
“As South Africa’s leading national industry alliance, SACHIDA brings together public- and private-sector partners to develop regulatory frameworks, promote intra-African trade, and facilitate equitable industry growth. Through its network of experienced members—many of whom hold research and commercial licenses—SACHIDA has developed significant institutional knowledge on how to establish compliant, inclusive, and economically viable cannabis and hemp sectors.”
In September, SACHIDA was a key participant at the Botswana Hemp Impact Conference 2025, where Mclelland and chairperson …. met Botswana government officials to lay down a framework for regional cannabis collaboration.
SCACHIDA says the Botswana and Rwanda engagements mirror SACHIDA’s own mission in South Africa: to serve as a federation of industry organisations, giving government a single, representative platform for engagement while supporting transformation, rural development, and indigenous knowledge systems (IKS).
“By facilitating the formation of sector-specific associations within each country—such as cultivation, processing, wellness, industrial hemp, and research divisions—SACHIDA can help governments to establish efficient communication channels with their domestic industries, streamline licensing procedures, and encourage investor participation” says SACHIDA.
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