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.
Soweto Cannabis Association founder Tia Ramfate (pictured here) says community participation is essential in developing a uniquely African cannabis framework. She said South Africa could teach the world how to create a people-centric regulatory regime that was not locked into First World rules.
Leading Swiss cannabis expert Paul-Lukas Good has urged Morocco to go take its cannabis policies to a logical conclusion and legalize general adult use consumption. He said the Kingdom had a sound cannabis reform trajectory but would not realise its true potential by developing only industrial and medical cannabis.
Ghana has opened the door to developing an industrial hemp sector, but there are now calls for authorities to go further and embrance regulated adult use. A five point plan towards decriminalization has been put on the table by a leading advocate for cannabis reform.
Zimbabwe’s policy to legalise the production of medicinal cannabis is bearing fruit, with a multi-million-dollar value-addition facility in Headlands now transforming the “green gold” into high-end CBD pharmaceutical products.
ICS 2026 organizer Sean Hocking has expressed his sympathy to two Ghanaian CEO’s who have decided not to attend next week’s conference because of the xenophobic climate in the country. He says the Cape Town conference aims to strengthen pan-African communication channels and no other African delegates have withdrawn.
Medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp production are in the pipeline for Nigeria, with the National Assembly currently drafting legislation to create a legal framework for the cultivation and use of cannabis for medical, scientific and industrial purposes.
The ripples of xenophobia have hit the cannabis sector, with a senior Ghanaian stakeholder pulling out of next week’s ICS 2026 Cape Town conference. Mark Darko cited safety concerns for his withdrawal, which he says is in line with Ghana’s travel warnings to its citizens about staying clear of SA.
International cannabis thought leaders from across the world are to descend on Cape Town at the end of the month for ICS 2026. Organizer Sean Hocking tells Cannabiz Africa that the Back to Basics theme is aimed at breaking North American and European dominance in determining the world’s cannabis regulatory systems.
Zimbabwe and Zambia are best-placed African countries for ramped-up hemp production because they have plenty of available land and water. Zimbabwe has the edge because of it has an international distribution hub. That’s the view of Cobasa founder and chairperson Henri de Villeneuve, speaking at the Cheeba Summit.
The cannabis ‘gold standard’ is EU-GMP certification, an expensive exercise vital to get a foothold into Europe. However, this is beyond reach of most African producers, TUT’s Prof David Katerere told the Cheeba Summit, and proposed an African-GMP certification as a foundation for the continent’s cannabis industry.
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