Under the theme ‘Africa’s Gateway to the Global Cannabis Economy’, this year’s event brought together international policymakers, investors, and local cultivators, with high-profile industry figures, including Gareth Prince, participating as keynote speakers.
Hosted in collaboration with the Cannabis Expo, the summit served as a platform for commercial, investment, and policy engagement across Africa’s growing cannabis and hemp industry.
The programme featured live panel discussions, expert presentations, and interactive sessions, with more than 30 speakers.
“We made sure the content was diverse, because we wanted to keep the programme engaging throughout the day,” Trenton Birch, co-founder and CEO of Cheeba Africa, told Farmer’s Weekly.
Topics covered included medical cannabis; cannabis clubs; cannabis law and justice; hemp law; Good Agricultural and Collection Practice (GACP) certification, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), and export readiness; supply chains and offtake agreements; cannabis tourism; hemp economics and infrastructure; global cannabis economics; industrial hemp applications; artificial intelligence in the industry; and future consumer brands and culture.
Event highlights
The three-day event featured more than 100 exhibitors and covered all aspects of the cannabis value chain, including medical, agricultural, financial, and lifestyle segments.
Alongside the summit and expo, a commercial cultivation course was held ahead of the main exhibition weekend. Hosted by the Cheeba Cannabis Academy, the intensive programme included farm and facility tours.
Birch said several international visitors commented on the programme’s dynamic nature.
“Cheeba also has an educational calling, and we understand this industry and have the knowledge required to programme a summit like this. I am really pleased with the outcome,” he said.
Regarding attendance, Birch noted that while organisers always aim to attract more delegates, some sessions were at capacity.
“I still feel that more people need to support the summit and similar events. I would like to see five times more people attending, as I have attended overseas B2B conferences with more than 3 000 participants.”
He also highlighted the need for stronger commercial cultivation representation at such events.
“I would like to see greater international representation, although the current conflict in the Middle East resulted in many international delegates cancelling their travel arrangements this year.”
Future summits
Looking ahead, Birch said organisers aim to position the summit as a destination event capable of attracting greater international participation.
“That is what we will be working towards for the next summit. We will probably revert to a two-day event next year. We are having many discussions behind the scenes about how to increase both the size and capacity of the event.
“There are international partners with whom we only began engaging this year, and we will continue developing those relationships to make the event even bigger and better. This should be the premier cannabis and hemp event in Africa, and we are close to making that happen,” he said.
Industrialising the industry
Asked about how to industrialise the cannabis and hemp industry, Birch said the experience and expertise of legacy growers will be crucial to its development.
However, he added that the industry needs to focus on more than just rural farmers if it is to achieve meaningful industrialisation.
“Although cannabis and hemp are certainly industrial products, to truly industrialise this industry, we need to bring established commercial legacy farmers into it,” he explained.
According to him, the industry currently consists of numerous growers producing relatively small volumes of hemp, but hemp production requires significantly larger-scale operations.
“It requires volumes similar to those in maize farming, and smaller farmers simply do not have the necessary capital. We should focus on industrialising larger growers first, and they will bring smaller producers along to supply large processing facilities.
“The hemp industry needs a strong industrial backbone. When you look at Nampo, you become aware of the massive, industrialised farming community we have in South Africa. We need to win those farmers over, as they would enable the hemp industry to generate sufficient offtake to attract international markets.”
Birch noted that the international market is increasingly demanding consistency and volume, which cannot be supplied through small-scale operations.
“We need industrial-scale farmers to achieve that. Some could begin by conducting tests and trials. But if we are serious about industrialising this crop, we first need to establish the backbone required to support it,” he concluded.
