The Ghanaian government on Thursday clarified the outlines of the regulatory framework required to develop its local therapeutic cannabis sector, which remains in its infancy despite the legalization of medical cannabis six years ago.
Since 2020, Ghanaian law has allowed the cultivation of cannabis with a THC content below 0.3% for therapeutic use, making it the first — and still the only — country in West Africa to authorize it.
Recreational use of cannabis remains prohibited.
Ghana currently lacks low-THC cannabis seeds used for medical production, meaning that all seeds must be imported under license.
Establishing a local production sector would make it possible to create a value chain and a potentially lucrative industry.
Ghana’s Interior Minister, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, on Thursday announced the rules that prospective therapeutic cannabis producers will have to comply with in the country.
"We will not grant you a license if you do not show us who you are going to sell to. You must have a buyer,” the minister said at a press conference.
Operators will be required to obtain several specific permits for each activity along the value chain, including separate licenses for cultivation, processing, transportation, import and export.
"If we do things properly, the benefits will follow,” the minister explained, stressing that the priority is to "place emphasis on public safety.”
Security agencies will deploy monitoring tools, including GPS tracking, drone surveillance and unannounced inspections of licensed facilities in order to prevent diversion to the black market, he added.
Approved sites must be located at least 100 meters away from schools and residential areas, and operators will be required to submit quarterly reports.
Several African countries, including Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe, have taken steps in recent years to legalize the production of medical cannabis in order to generate export revenues from this rapidly growing global market.