The first cannabis education platform on the African continent was launched in during June 2020, the online courses on the platform are aimed at bringing medicinal cannabis education to South Africans at a time when the industry is poised for rapid growth.
According to industry analysts Prohibition Partner, the legal cannabis industry in Africa may be worth more than $7.1bn (R122.3bn) annually by 2023, and South Africa’s domestic market for cannabis and related products (excluding legal, non-psychoactive CBD products) could amount to R27bn a year by 2023.
“Cannabis has the potential to positively impact our economy, facilitating large-scale job creation, uplifting low-income communities, especially in under-served rural areas, as well as contributing to the overall improvement of people’s health. However, for this to happen, we need to provide opportunities for people to develop industry-specific skills,” said Trenton Birch, Co-founder of Cheeba Cannabis Academy.
The academy has partnered Medical Marijuana 411,US-based cannabis online education platform,the course content has been adapted for the South African market.Medical Marijuana 411 is considered a leader in online medical marijuana education for patients, media professionals and dispensary consultants.
Birch has 10 years’ experience in South African private tertiary education and his vision is that the cannabis industry will trigger much-needed economic transformation to enable marginalised South Africans to improve their livelihoods.
The first suite of four Cheeba Cannabis Academy short courses are open for enrollment and for some of the courses students will be able to get together in an online classroom to facilitate personalised learning and industry networking.
Pharmacist Jacqui Ramage, Cheeba Cannabis Academy Head of Training and Facilitation, is an expert on SA’s medicinal and regulatory cannabis industry, and will present some of the initial courses.“Cheeba Cannabis Academy will soon offer a scholarship programme, and we will continue to host workshops in townships and rural areas when in-person training is possible again,” said Birch.
The academy’s advisory board includes doctors, pharmacists and industry experts such as Tony Buddon, who has been pioneering the use of industrial cannabis products since 1996 through his company, Hemporium.
