Although Lesotho legalized cannabis exports in 2018, Africa has been a slow starter in joining the ranks of those countries pushing for reform and regulated markets. Although fewer than a quarter of the continent’s countries have partially legalized cannabis, primarily medical cannabis for export and industrial hemp, Africa has the potential to be a future powerhouse on the international cannabis stage. Stay in the loop with all the news, policy, legislative, regulatory and market developments with Cannabiz Africa, your reliable content guide to the African cannabis environment.
The government in Harare has announced the creation of specialised courts to tackle drug and substance abuse in a move the government says is aimed at protecting public health and safeguarding the country’s future.
The Nigerian Academy of Science has put the prospect of legalizing cannabis oil for medical purposes on the table. In hosted a breakthrough workshop in Abuja this month to open up a debate on the issue, and this may be the first sign that Nigeria is considering relaxing its deeply prohibitionist stance on cannabis.
Two former prominent South African professional footballers have been arrested in Zimbabwe with 750 kg of cannabis. Brian Amidu and Rueben Muhlanga have been remanded in custody while police investigate whether they are part of a larger drug trafficking syndicate.
Robert Mugabe Jnr (pictured here) is being investigated in connection to a syndicate ‘peddling illegal substances’ after he was bust for cannabis in Harare. The son of the former Zimbabwean strongman was arrested for cannabis possession after being caught for a traffic offence, and is now out on bail.
Botswana has signed a high level MoU with Hemp Innovations Europe to develop its industrial cannabis value chain. The MoU sets out a framework for wide-ranging cooperation and government officials have been urged to implement cannabis programmes with pace and purpose.
eSwatini police are not buying a Hhohho man’s claim that he had no idea how over two tons of dagga with a street value of R5 million came to be in one of the rooms in his house. He is being charged with dealing in cannabis despite his protestation that he’d been away from home and knew nothing about the stash until the police arrived.
One of the highlights of this year’s National Agriculture Fair in Malawi was the Cannabis Research Authority’s (CRA) marketing drive to highlight awareness of the plant’s power to assist economic transformation. The fair also saw the launch of the Malawi Gold CBD brand.
Botswana’s Hemp Impact Conference went further than the creation of a foundation for the country’s hemp sector, it was also the first tangible development of southern African cross-frontier collaboration in building a regional industrial cannabis economy.
Zambian Green Party President, Peter Sinkamba, says handing over control of the new cannabis industry to the army will end in total failure. In an exclusive interview with Africa Editor, John Makoni, the renowned cannabis legalization campaigner, said that the military has neither the capacity or the knowledge to do justice to the plant.
Botswana’s Hemp Impact Conference, held on 4 and 5 September 2025 in Gaberone, laid down a framework for the development of a new industrial cannabis sector. Delegates agreed on clear licensing frameworks, the acceleration of knowledge transfer and the value of developing a local market before taking on exports.
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