Africa Cannabis Market – Business Plan Templates

Population (b)	1.4
GDP (US$ t)	2.96
Total Healthcare Expenditure (US$ b, est.)	140
Annual prevalence rates of cannabis use	13.2%
Estimated medicinal cannabis market value, 2023 (US$ b)	0.8
Source: World Bank/ UNODC/ Prohibition partners

The pharmaceuticals market in Africa is estimated to reach a business opportunity of $45b, and according to Nathan Emery, CEO of Precision Cannabis Therapeutics Zimbabwe (PCT – Z), cannabis as a medicine is highly accepted in Southern and Eastern Africa and its medicinal use will spread rapidly if it shows proof of its success for treatment.

More than 10,000 tons of cannabis are produced on the continent each year, according to a UN survey, which advocates believe could be worth billions of dollars in a rapidly expanding global market for legal weed. Annual prevalence rates of cannabis use (13.2%) in Africa fixes the region as having one of the highest consumption rates in the world.

The African medical cannabis and industrial hemp industries have gained traction in recent years. Countries such as South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Malawi have seen an increase in licensing, exports and investment in the industry. Africa currently has 9 countries that have legalized medical cannabis in some form:

In 2017, Lesotho became the continent’s first country to offer legal licenses to grow cannabis.
In March 2017, the Medical Controls Council (MCC) has released its medical cannabis guidelines for the cultivation, production and use of medical cannabis in South Africa.
Zimbabwe legalised growing cannabis for medicinal and research purposes in April 2018.
In December 2019, Zambia legalized cannabis for export and medicinal purposes only.
In January 2020, the Ugandan Ministry of Health approved the export of cannabis for medicinal purposes. In August 2023, Parliament passed a new bill to legalise medical cannabis.
In February 2020, Malawi’s parliament passed a bill making it legal to cultivate and process medical cannabis and hemp fibre.
In May 2021, Morocco passed a law permitting the medical use of cannabis.
In June 2021, Rwanda passed a new order legalising the cultivation, processing, and sale of medical cannabis.
In December 2023, Ghana’s Parliament voted to legalize cannabis for medical and industrial use with THC less than 0.3%.

Africa Cannabis Business Plan Sample

In the African Cannabis Report – produced by London-based advisory group Prohibition Partners – Africa’s cannabis market is projected to rise to $7.1bn as regulation and market conditions improve.

Africa Cannabis Market Infographics

Cannabis Vertically Integrated Business Plan Sample, South Africa

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'70% ready to go' business plan templates

Our cannabis financial models and cannabis business plan templates will help you estimate how much it costs to start and operate your own cannabis business, to build all revenue and cost line-items monthly over a flexible seven year period, and then summarize the monthly results into quarters and years for an easy view into the various time periods. We also offer investor pitch deck templates.