Lawmakers in Ghana’s Parliament voted this month to legalize the cultivation of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes, according to AfricaNews.com.

Under the December 14 decision, the country’s Interior Minister was given the authority to begin issuing cultivation licenses. Licenses are ultimately expected for every aspect of the cannabis industry including cultivation, distribution, processing, sale, import, and export, according to the report.

Notably, the new law includes a 0.3% THC cap for cannabis crops grown in the country, which matches the restrictions for industrial hemp crops grown in the U.S.

Experts predict that cannabis and hemp cultivation could prove to be a significant boon to the country because the crop will grow readily in every region of Ghana and will bring a multitude of employment opportunities, the report said.

The move marks Ghana’s next step in aligning itself with the international trend of reforming cannabis laws, which lawmakers had set as a priority in 2020 with the Narcotics Control Commission Act.

Other African countries that have legalized medical cannabis and/or industrial hemp include Lesotho, Malawi, Morocco, South Africa, Eswatini, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe; South Africa has also decriminalized the personal possession of cannabis.

A 2022 report described the cannabis sector in Africa as “poised” for significant growth, and New Frontier Data reported in 2019 that approximately one-third of the world’s cannabis consumers live in Africa.