Medigrow’s billion rand Coega industrial cannabis project gets underway this month as equipment arrives on site in the Eastern Cape and the first hemp seeds are ready for delivery to small-scale rural growers.

Leading agricultural economist Wandile Sihlobo (pictured here) has called on South Africa’s provinces to pressurize national government into putting the right regulations in place to develop South Africa’s cannabis industry. Regulations, he emphasizes, are essential to guiding the market in an orderly way.

The South African cannabis industry has gone through a painful few years, constrained by Government’s slow and shambolic approach to regulatory reform. The irony is that to date the ‘grey zone’ appears to have benefitted the most so far from the Constitutional Courts 2018 decision to legalize private consumption, while other sectors of the cannabis economy have lagged behind. So what lies in store for SA cannabis in the year ahead? Cannabiz Africa publisher Brett Hilton-Barber has a look ahead.

Kenya has taken the first step towards realizing the potential of industrial cannabis with a landmark hemp workshopping conference planned for Nairobi on 20 January 2025.

It’s well-known that cannabis pollen travels far and wide and that planting high THC and low THC varietals in the same geographical area can be detrimental to both. According to a new study, cross-pollination in the US cannabis industry is becoming a serious challenge.

Central to government’s cannabis development vision is the concept of public/private sector partnerships. One such venture that has successfully emerged in Gauteng is VitaCann Pharm’s incubation by the provincial agriculture department which has turned its Carltonville facility into a fully-fledged export business.

KZN’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) has put out a call to prospective hemp farmers in the province who need support, to make contact by the end of January 2025 at any of their local offices.

Zimbabwe’s Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) has noted farmers showing a growing interest in medical cannabis Zimbabwe for medicinal purposes, but production challenges are slowing the growth of the sector.

Earlier this year Ghana’s Chamber of Commerce set up a specialist division to help establish a regulated cannabis industry in the West African country. The CCI’s CEO Mark Darko writes how Ghana is taking the regional lead in creating a commercial medicinal and industrial cannabis industry.

Cheeba Africa has formed a partnership with the Township Cannabis Incubator to set up a cannabis training and market development drive in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape. The aim to match skills and business incubation to take on poverty in the heartland of South African cannabis.

Hemp clothing is gaining traction as an eco-friendly alternative in the apparel industry. Yet, the higher price tag often deters consumers. This premium stems from production challenges, including natural yarn inconsistencies, rigorous quality control processes and the commitment to sustainable practices.

ARC has spent the last two years studying the diseases affecting cannabis and hemp. Field trips in Limpopo and Gauteng have identified a number of threats to mono-cultural cannabis cultivation and government researchers are using this data to put together appropriate crop health strategies.