African Nations Expand Cannabis Licences Amid Unclear Commercial Returns
Several African countries are issuing licences and building processing capacity for cannabis, but sales and profit data remain limited.
Across Africa, regulated cannabis markets are growing through new licences and investment in cultivation and processing, yet clear evidence of sales revenue or profitability is lacking. Ghana reinstated a low-THC licensing regime in 2023 and awarded its first two cultivation licences in July 2026, while Botswana approved industrial hemp legislation in 2025 and issued pilot licences by early 2026. Morocco, operating under Law 13-21, has reported legal harvests, processing capacity and a portfolio of registered consumer products, though export figures are not provided.
South Africa allows private adult possession and cultivation but has not yet enacted a legal framework for recreational sales, and its medicinal and hemp sectors remain separate. Smaller markets such as Lesotho and Zimbabwe face high regulatory costs, with Zimbabwe lowering fees in 2026, while other countries maintain nascent or inactive frameworks. Researchers warn that the focus on licensing may overlook the needs of informal growers, and investors await verified turnover and export data to assess true market performance.
