Africa: Market and regulatory data analysis of the cannabis sector

Cannabinoid and vape brands’ joint affair sparks surprise interest from Middle East

Written by Freddie Dawson | 16th August 2024

Executives were taken aback by the enthusiasm vendors showed for a nicotine vape brand in Dubai with a US West Coast theme, even though it involves a product that the UAE only recently legalised ...

Not your usual partnership between cannabinoid brand and vaping company

Written by Freddie Dawson | 9th August 2024

Vaping company Ispire has signed a 30-year global licensing agreement with Hidden Hills Club, a cannabinoid operation with wider lifestyle ambitions that will lead to the creation of Hidden Hills branded nicotine vaping products ...

Malawi’s legalisation of medical cannabis leaves Rasta community ‘disappointed’

Written by CannIntelligence | 13th May 2024

Malawi has legalised the cultivation of a potent local variety of cannabis for industrial and medicinal use but maintained the criminal status of its recreational use – raising concerns among the Rastafarian community ...

South Africa inches forward towards long-awaited clarification on cannabis

Written by CannIntelligence | 13th April 2023

The South African cannabis bill has finally moved forward with an invitation to “stakeholders and interested persons” to submit written submissions on proposed amendments ...

Developing countries could get economic boost from industrial hemp, says UN

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 25th January 2023

Government and industry representatives from around the world met in Geneva last week to hear about the “significant economic opportunities” offered by industrial hemp and the need for greater clarity on its legal status ...

A watershed year? 2022 sees cannabis on the rise, while CBD goes downhill

Written by Freddie Dawson | 30th December 2022

This past year has seen a curious crossing of paths in the world of cannabis and cannabinoids, with concerns around CBD increasing even as many countries make moves towards the legalisation of cannabis ...

African nations press on with medical cannabis, but it's not all plain sailing

Written by CannIntelligence | 1st September 2022

Two southern African countries, Malawi and Zimbabwe, are progressing in the advancement of their nascent medicinal cannabis industries ...

Legal challenge coming after Ghana's Supreme Court halts hemp licensing

Written by CannIntelligence | 31st August 2022

Cannabis activists are set to challenge a ruling by the Supreme Court of Ghana which invalidated a section of the country’s Narcotic Control Commission Act 2020 that would have enabled the licensing of hemp production...

US at risk of missing huge opportunity in cannabis due to lack of federal reform

Written by Lorraine Mullaney | 31st May 2022

The US is in danger of being left behind the burgeoning global cannabis market because of a lack of political will to commit to any form of federal cannabis reform ...

Morocco authorises cannabis growth for medical purposes in three regions

Written by CannIntelligence | 8th April 2022

The Cabinet of the Moroccan government has formally adopted the decision to authorise three regionsto lawfully grow cannabis solely for medical purposes ...

Picking the right variety – what seeds are permitted and which grows best where?

Written by CannIntelligence | 31st December 2021

Desired end product and environmental factors are the two things best kept in mind when considering hemp varieties for different countries ...

So it’s farewell to 2021 – a year that promised little and delivered less

Written by Freddie Dawson | 27th December 2021

If 2020 was the year in the waiting-room then 2021 was perhaps the year of the unfulfilled hype. As predicted, there was little movement in many of the major issues controlling the CBD market ...

African countries legalise cannabinoids to help revive flagging economies

Written by CannIntelligence | 17th December 2021

Many ailing African economies are turning to hemp and cannabis cultivation. In some cases this is to replace declining tobacco businesses. But many still face economic challenges as well as local opposition ...

Malawi asks former world boxing champ Tyson to be cannabinoids ambassador

Written by CannIntelligence | 25th November 2021

Malawi has asked former world heavyweight boxing chamption Mike Tyson to be ambassador for its cannabinoid industry, where new legislation is coming in. A civil rights group opposes this ...

New Moroccan government will stick with medical cannabis production plan

Written by CannIntelligence | 14th October 2021

Morocco’s new medical cannabis law is still supported by the new government of Aziz Akhannouch, even though it was the pet project of a minister in the government he has displaced ...

Zimbabwe fails to live up to its cannabis ambitions as licences lie dormant

Written by CannIntelligence | 6th October 2021

Zimbabwe wants to be a big player in the African cannabis industry, but the country is failing to meet its initial ambitions because only a few licensed companies are active ...

Malawi set for its first hemp harvest following legalisation and licensing

Written by CannIntelligence | 20th July 2021

Malawi is set to have its first hemp harvest this year following the licensing of 36 companies. However, despite hopes the plant could change the country’s economic fortunes, it will continue to be strictly regulated...

South Africa's new national cannabis plan could spark regional change

Written by CannIntelligence | 30th April 2021

South Africa releases the National Cannabis Master Plan, which will not only boost and uplift the southern Africa cannabis industry, but will set a regional precedent for the growth of a legal cannabis market in the area ...

Finance minister sets Zimbabwe an ambitious target for cannabis income

Written by CannIntelligence | 17th December 2020

Zimbabwe’s minister of finance and economic development, Mthuli Ncube, has proposed wide-ranging and hugely ambitious cannabis levies in the country, starting next year ...

Malawi accused of setting licence fees to exclude local farmers' ownership

Written by CannIntelligence | 25th November 2020

Officials in Malawi have been accused of deliberately setting high licence fees for hemp and cannabis cultivation and trade in order to attract international investment and exclude local ownership ...

New regulatory measures for industrial hemp introduced in Zimbabwe

Written by CannIntelligence | 2nd October 2020

The Zimbabwean agriculture minister has officially published a new statutory instrument to regulate the production, procurement, distribution, possession, sale, provision and transportation of industrial hemp ...

International interest as Malawi prepares for its first growing season

Written by CannIntelligence | 21st July 2020

Global agricultural giant Pyxus International is among a number of international companies that have expressed interest in venturing into hemp cultivation in Malawi ...

Corruption threat to hopes of a hemp export boom in Southern Africa

Written by CannIntelligence | 1st July 2020

Law enforcement and financial crimes experts in Malawi and Zambia have urged lawmakers to find ways to counter corruption before they start issuing licences to cultivate cannabis ...

Zimbabwe opens up cannabis to 100% investor or foreign ownership

Written by CannIntelligence | 9th June 2020

Zimbabwe has changed tack, allowing investors to hold 100% of medicinal cannabis licences in order to improve competiveness of the sector both regionally and globally ...

South Africa ends suspense at the last moment – legalisation is here to stay

Written by Marija Obradovic | 26th May 2020

The regulation of CBD, THC and cannabis has been liberalised in South Africa – at the very moment when a year-long trial period was due to end ...

Local hopes remain buoyant after Canopy Growth pulls out of Africa

Written by CannIntelligence | 11th May 2020

Operations of Canopy Growth’s African subsidiary have not been affected by the parent company’s decision to pull out and leave things in local hands – according to the man in charge of those local hands....

Legal in theory only – huge licence fee holds up Zambia’s cannabis trade

Written by CannIntelligence | 2nd April 2020

Four months after Zambia legalised the production and export of cannabis, no one has yet been able to take advantage because of the high cost of licensing fees – and some confusion remains about what...

Malawi legalises medical cannabis to salve collapse in tobacco earnings

Written by CannIntelligence | 3rd March 2020

A bill legalising hemp and medical cannabis has been passed in Malawi, making it the fifth African country to pass some form of cannabis legalisation ...

Lesotho turns lack of industrialisation into advantage for hemp growers

Written by CannIntelligence | 7th February 2020

Lesotho is looking to combine first-mover status with natural endowments to become a key player in the hemp/cannabis...

Quality, professionalism and trust the South African branding goals

Written by CannIntelligence | 30th January 2020

South Africans look for CBD brands with a packaging design and style that projects an image of professionalism and quality – while the use of specifically African themes is also popular ...

Despite hold-ups, the outlook appears bright for Zimbabwe’s cannabis trade

Written by CannIntelligence | 18th December 2019

The legalisation of cannabis production in Zimbabwe – including both low-THC “hemp” and higher THC “medical cannabis” varieties – has created considerable interest but continues to be held back ...

Wuhan launches out into South Africa with coffee, creams and mushrooms

Written by CannIntelligence | 16th December 2019

Wuhan General Group has announced that it is to launch CBD cosmetic creams, coffees and medicinal mushrooms in South Africa before a planned expansion across more of the region ...

CBD vending machines for Colorado c-stores: CBD business news in brief

Written by CannIntelligence | 12th November 2019

A Colorado company is to pilot the use of CBD vending machines in convenience stores. Other news items come from the UK, South Africa, and states across the US from California to Vermont ...

CBD-Intel regulatory news in brief, 27th August-2nd September

Written by CannIntelligence | 2nd September 2019

Americans for Safe Access has issued the Patient’s Guide to CBD, Ireland sees increase in hemping-growing licence applications, and over 6000 plants have been seized in Portugal ...

CBD-Intel business news in brief, 24th-31st August

Written by CannIntelligence | 2nd September 2019

Information from the US, the UK, Canada and Africa, including how more than half of the hemp crops planted in Hawaii have had to be destroyed due to THC content being over the permitted levels...

CBD-Intel business news in brief, 29th July-2nd August 2019

Written by CannIntelligence | 5th August 2019

US food and pharmacy chain Kroger has increased its range of CBD products with deals to distribute CV Sciences, Veritas Farms and Charlotte’s Web products in 1350 stores across 22 states ...

CBD-Intel business news in brief, 17th-21st June

Written by CannIntelligence | 24th June 2019

Catch up on the latest CBD business news with CBD-Intel’s weekly round-up, bringing updates from the US, Canada, Germany, South America and southern Africa ...

South Africa legalises lower doses of CBD – but only for a trial year

Written by CannIntelligence | 18th June 2019

A landmark decision by South Africa's now former health minister Aaron Motsoledi has legalised lower dosage CBD. But there's a catch – the ruling only applies until May 2020 ...

Where in the world are the countries most likely to legalise cannabis?

Written by Barnaby Page | 17th January 2019

Researchers in Portugal have developed an algorithm to identify characteristics that suggest the nations most likely to legalise recreational cannabis ...

Private cannabis use legalised – but CBD has a way to go in South Africa

Written by CannIntelligence | 10th October 2018

A recent judgement by the Constitutional Court of South Africa which legalised the personal use of cannabis in private may not have a big impact on the CBD market in the country ...

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