Botswana has attracted P290 million in proposed investment in the industrial hemp sector, marking a significant step towards diversifying the economy beyond diamonds and developing new industries.
President Advocate Duma Boko revealed during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) that the country had attracted 14 major project proposals and issued four provisional licences by September 2026, representing P290 million in investment.
He said the provisional licences provide for citizen shareholding ranging between 10% and 50%, creating opportunities for local participation in the emerging industry.
Boko said the development follows the enactment of the Cannabis Act, 2025 and the Cannabis Regulations, 2026, which established the legal and regulatory framework for industrial hemp investment and commercialisation.
Government has also established the National Cannabis Control Authority and completed cultivation pilot projects to provide the regulatory, scientific and security foundation for the sector.
The President said successful industrial hemp trials had demonstrated Botswana’s potential to develop a high-value, climate-resilient agricultural industry capable of supporting commercial cultivation, manufacturing and exports.
The emerging sector is expected to create opportunities for investment, employment, value addition and market development as Botswana intensifies efforts to reduce its reliance on diamonds.
Boko said industrial hemp forms part of government’s broader economic transformation agenda, which seeks to build a diversified and resilient economy driven by production, exports, innovation and citizen participation
