Closing the Skills Gap: Cheeba Launches Africa’s First Cannabis and Hemp 101 Professional Certificate
Success in the cannabis industry depends on how well you understand the cannabis value chain. That’s the view of Cheeba Africa’s Trenton Birch, whose preparing for the first intake of students for Africa’s first mainstream cannabis qualification, the Cannabis & Hemp 101 Professional Certificate.
Understanding the New Plant Improvement Act and How it Affects You
The revised Plant Improvement Act has significantly raised the THC limit in hemp to 2%, but the Act goes much further than empowering the industrial cannabis industry, it creates an updated compliance system across the plant/propagation-material value chain.
Botswana’s Key Development Challenges Are Landrace and Local Ownership of Cannabis Value Chain
Botswana’s ‘been in the news headlines lately with the release of its inaugural license fees and the Last Mile’ Conference in Gaborone last week to chart a way forward in creating a legal medical cannabis industry. SACHIDA’s Cian McLelland was a keynote speaker at the conference at which the importance of landrace was highlighted.
Charl Botha: ‘Farmer Inclusion in Hemp Regulations Engagement is Positive, Let’s Build On It’
The hemp sector may be on the verge of a regulatory breakthrough after a meeting between non-government cannabis stakeholders and the Department of Agriculture last week. The meeting was initiated by Charl Botha of H3 Legal Solutions. This is his report-back.
Govt to Relook at SAPS Involvement in Hemp Permit Applications After Consensus-Building Stakeholder Meeting
The Department of Agriculture has acknowledged that the role of law enforcement in the issuing of hemp permits should be reviewed. This follows an interdepartmental engagement between the Department and cannabis stakeholders in Gauteng this week to discuss problematic areas of the Plant Improvement Act and other issues affecting hemp.
SACHIDA Working with Botswana Government to Design Landrace Protection Programme
High license fees could complicate the transfrontier cannabis landrace initiative between SACHIDA and Botswana’s agricultural researchers, but as SACHIDA’s Cian McLelland says, ‘we’ll see where that conversation goes” when the Association visits Gaberone this weekend for the Canda Africa Cannabis and Hemp Trade Expo.
“Botswana License Fee Outrage: You Owe Us an Explanation!’
A leading player in the fledgling Botswana industrial cannabis industry, Oratile Masala, has called on the Government to explain the rationale behind the exorbitant hemp license fees gazetted this month. Masala, who is the Hemp Business Summit CEO, says the fees are “unrealistic, unfair and exclusionary’, as Africa Editor John Makoni reports.
Botswana’s New Industrial Cannabis License Fees: Only Players with Deep Pockets Need Apply
Botswana’s recently released its industrial cannabis license fees which will be well beyond the affordabiity of the local farming and small business community. There are seven license categories with different fees for citizens, non-citizens and joint ventures.
Africa’s Evolving Cannabis Policies: It’s All About the Money, Forget About the People
The evolution of cannabis policy in Africa bears a striking resemblance to the colonial expansion of the 19th century. Without exception, every African state that has partially legalized cannabis is doing so to earn foreign exchange at the expense of using the plant’s potential in public healthcare or job creation.
Botswana Gazettes Cannabis Regulations – All Focus on Exports, Strict Prohibition Back Home
Botswana’s new cannabis framework has been described as ‘the most detailed cannabis control regime’ in Africa. The Cannabis Act of 2025, published on 12 January 2026, favours big business in that it’s export-orientated, prohibits adult-use and does not allow for the developmet of a domestic cannabis economy.