Cannabis Entrepreneurship in South Africa

Cannabis Entrepreneurship in South Africa

What is happening? What are the Opportunities? What are the current constraints?

In as far as the cannabis sector is concerned, South Africa is currently in an uneasy limbo situation. There is a historic and vibrant cannabis sector that has continued to exist despite it being made illegal. There is a potentially bright future for a legal cannabis industry that can draw on the rich history of cannabis production and use, including the diverse cultures that cannabis is part of and high quality seed varieties in the country. Right now, however, the country is in a situation of contestation around what is and is not legal and uncertainty about the future. In this space there are entrepreneurs who are forging ahead, showing what is possible and perhaps pointing to what the sector could look like, if the right policy and regulatory environment is created.

This webinar will be addressed by panellists with rich practical experience who are at the forefront of shaping this sector with their initiatives. The focus will be on:
– Sharing various experiences of entrepreneurship in the legal cannabis space;
– The challenges and opportunities that exist; and
– What needs to be done to maximise the opportunities of the sector for the country.

Speakers:

Suresh Patel (Moderator)
Suresh Patel is Stakeholder Manager for Fields of Green for ALL, connecting with various stakeholders across the Cannabis industry. Suresh comes from an entrepreneurial background, having started several businesses. He believes real economic opportunities lie in creating laws and policies that allow as many entrepreneurs – especially from among the neediest in our society – to enter the space as possible.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/suresh-patel-048114160/

Trenton Birch
Trenton Birch has spent the last 8 years pioneering creative media education in South Africa where he launched the first audio degree on the African continent. He recently co-founded Cheeba Africa, a cannabis health and wellness company that launched Africa’s first Cannabis Academy, has a range of Cannabis health products and runs its own media channel called Craft Cannabis TV. The Cheeba Cannabis Academy recently launched their Johannesburg campus and is providing much needed Cannabis education and training.
https://cheebaafrica.com/

Sam Mzizi
Sam Mzizi a.k.a Ganjahman is the proprietor of several publications including Seven Leaf a cannabis culture magazine with a mandate to tell the African Cannabis stories. Born on the Savanna grasslands of Africa, Sam is passionate about all things Africa and believes in the plant life with a pronounced emphasis on the Cannabis plant. The love for cannabis has positioned him at the front of retelling the actual and factual stories of the Cannabis plant.
https://www.thesevenleaf.co.za/

Robyn Cameron
Robyn Cameron has vast experience over the past decade on the digital realm of business,
from website and digital UX (User Experience) design and development, to SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and content marketing. She joined Fields of Green for ALL in 2015 as a consultant and has since become a Director and an integral part of the team. Her digital services fall within the Cannabis support industry, and she has built up a client base of businesses in Cannabis, as well as others from different industries.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robyncameron1986/

Sibusiso Xaba
Sibusiso Xaba, previously worked as part of the Institutional Sales Group at Investec in London covering African and European investors. Sibs is now the co-founder and CEO of ACA Group, a newly established investments and advisory business focused on the African cannabis market. The company looks to work with top cannabis entrepreneurs across a wide range of businesses and assists them in creating, calibrating and executing their financial, strategic and operational plans.
https://www.aca-g.com/

Jordyn Murcia
Jordyn is the founder and CEO of Green Smoke Room (GSR), which is a South African Cannabis seed bank providing genetics to the industry on both a commercial and home grower scale. He is also the founder of Green Grow Room, which supplies equipment and materials needed to grow Cannabis. Jordyn has supported Cannabis legalisation efforts by being one of the first company supporters of Fields of Green for ALL, as well as lobbying with other stakeholders.
https://greensmokeroomseeds.com/