In the summer of 2023, lawmakers in Ghana approved a measure that legalized the limited cultivation of low-THC cannabis for medical and industrial purposes. The African nation’s parliament approved the Narcotics Control Commission Bill, 2023, and tasked Ghana’s Ministry of Interior with setting up a framework to issue cannabis cultivation licenses. The Ministry announced this week that it has finally done so.

“Ghana has launched the Cannabis Regulatory Programme, establishing a controlled framework for the cultivation and management of low-THC cannabis for medicinal and industrial purposes. The announcement came during a press briefing in Accra where Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, Minister for the Interior, declared the programme open for implementation.” Ghana’s Ministry of the Interior wrote in a news release.

“This low-psychoactive hemp is the same type legally cultivated in countries like Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany for fibre, seeds, textiles, food products, and therapeutic applications,” Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak stated.

During a press conference, the Minister pointed to the economic boost that Canada’s legal cannabis industry has provided the nation. Canada adopted a national adult-use cannabis legalization measure in 2018, with Canada’s regulated industry model being far more robust compared to what Ghana has adopted.

“The Minister outlined key anticipated outcomes such as a reduction in illegal high-THC cultivation as farmers transition to legal alternatives, significant local and foreign investment, thousands of jobs, particularly for rural youth, and substantial state revenue from licensing fees and export.” the Ministry wrote in its news release.

In July 2025, Ghana’s current cannabis industry regulatory body, the Management of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), engaged Moroccan Ambassador Mrs. Imane Quaadill to discuss Ghana’s cannabis policy implementation plan.

Additionally, members of Ghana’s emerging cannabis industry are planning a trade mission trip to the Czech Republic as part of an ongoing effort to develop the country’s cannabis industry and boost collaboration with other nations.