The government has outlined new entry conditions for Ghana’s medicinal cannabis industry, making it clear that participation will require more than interest or access to land.
At a press briefing in Accra, the Minister for the Interior, Mr Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, said the sector will be tightly regulated, with attention on security, traceability and full commercial accountability.
Addressing journalists on Thursday, February 26, 2026, he set out the requirements that investors, farmers and businesses must meet before entering the industry.
1. First, applicants must secure a buyer before they are granted a licence. Mr Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak said authorities will not issue licences without proof of a ready market. “We won’t give you the licence if you don’t show us who you are going to sell it to. You need to have an off-taker,” he stated. This rule rules out the approach of producing first and searching for a market later, and raises the bar for small-scale operators.
2. He also said the industry is governed by multiple licences rather than a single permit. A total of 11 licences cover activities such as cultivation, processing, transportation, import and export. Each licence is activity-specific and cannot be transferred. “You cannot cultivate and assume you can transport. You need another licence for that,” he explained.
3. On seed supply, the Minister said Ghana does not yet produce the specialised low-THC cannabis seeds required for medicinal use. All seeds must therefore be imported under licence. “Government is not positioning itself to provide the seeds. It is a business,” he said.
4. Mr Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak added that strict monitoring measures will be in place to prevent diversion into illegal markets. The Interior Ministry, working with the Narcotics Control Commission and other security agencies, will use GPS tracking, drone surveillance and unannounced inspections. “If we get it wrong, Ghana could easily be blacklisted,” he warned.
5. He further stated that recreational cannabis remains illegal. Cannabis with THC levels above 0.3 per cent is still classified as a prohibited narcotic under Ghanaian law. The programme operates under the Narcotics Control Commission Amendment Act, 2023, and related regulations, which limit its use to industrial and medicinal purposes.
While the sector has the potential to generate revenue, Mr Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak said the priority is proper control and public safety. “Our emphasis is more on security and public safety than on money. If we do it right, the benefits will come,” he said.
