CANNABIS EDUCATION
IN AFRICA ON THE RISE
Trenton BirchMany of us who have valued cannabis as an integral part of our lifestyles have ventured into this new world where we can finally build legitimate businesses in the global cannabis industry.Our team started developing the Cheeba business almost two years ago. We pivoted a few times in the beginning as we tried to figure out our place in the space and to define what made good sense for us in terms of our experience.Despite having a personal interest in cannabis from a young age and being heavily exposed to it through my music industry life, cannabis as an industry was something new to me. Understanding where the opportunities were and knowing just how to build a new business in an emerging arena still shrouded by negative sentiment was not easy.

The core of our business is the Cheeba Cannabis Academy - Africa’s first Cannabis education platform. I have personally been in the education space for over 10 years and am deeply passionate about education's power to change the world for the better.

We began as an online education platform and have now evolved to also offer full-blown, in-person learning at our beautiful campus on the banks of the Vaal River.

Online we offer the most comprehensive medical Cannabis courses on the continent which we license through our US partner, Medical Marijuana 411 - the world's leading provider of online medical Cannabis content.

This curriculum is tailor-made to include South African legislation and history. Today, our medical Cannabis courses are registered with the HCPSA for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points for doctors and other healthcare practitioners.
We believe this recognition from the medical establishment is an important milestone in the South African, and African, Cannabis industry.

Cheeba Africa offers self-study and blended learning courses where students can engage in virtual classes.

Our offering is wide-ranging - covering growing, legal, extraction, industry, medical and many other relevant topics.
We also run a number of contact courses including a Commercial Cultivation course for those wishing to learn how to grow at scale, which facilitates visits to two SAHPRA partner farms.

Currently, Cheeba Africa’s flagship course is our 4-month Cannabis Industry 101 course which includes a one-month internship that we facilitate for our students. This is the most comprehensive Cannabis course available on the continent and covers growing, medicinal, cannabusiness, sustainability and wellness.

Our students enjoy an holistic deep learning experience unlike anywhere in the world and the course is endorsed by the University of Limpopo and Edupark.

We are committed to social development through providing learnerships, and our scholarship model includes the ‘Dagga Couple Scholarship’ in memory of the late Julian Stobbs.
Cheeba Africa also hosts a lot of webinars as part of our efforts to unify and promote knowledge and education in the sector. This includes the annual Craft Cannabis Summit.

In 2021, we brought together more than 50 speakers from around the world all diving deep into the beautiful world of Cannabis. We make these learning sessions widely available by uploading them to our Youtube channel called Craft Cannabis TV.

New content creation is ongoing, and we regularly record interesting and educational conversations with industry players, and deliver up to date news, views, and insights through this edutainment platform.

Our commitment to knowledge sharing, training and development is rooted in our belief that Cannabis education will pave the way for creating an equitable, sustainable, thriving Cannabis industry.

We want to see more and more opportunities open up for communities to create livelihoods and deliver quality Cannabis products and services to local and international markets. We want to play a vital role in developing the leaders of a robust, thriving Cannabis industry in South Africa, and across the continent.
Cheeba Africa also includes a small online boutique featuring high-quality CBD brands imported from the USA. (Unfortunately, legislation in South Africa still does not allow for us to buy CBD locally but hopefully this will change sooner rather than later).

Cheeba’s online store features a stunning intimacy range called Foria which focuses on sexual wellness and self-care, and we are incredibly proud to have this fantastic brand as part of our offering. As more and more consumers become aware of the benefits of CBD, it’s vital that quality products that are responsibly sourced are readily available to them.

As the leading provider of Cannabis education on the continent, our journey to this point has been one that has been exciting, often frustrating and at times scary.

I count my blessings in having two incredible business partners, Linda Siboto and Bianca Kaiser, as well as a team of deeply passionate and purpose-driven people. We celebrate the milestones we have reached and look to a brighter future for all of us.

Thanks for reading, I’m off to enjoy an edible :-)
READ MORE LIKE THIS
TRENDING ARTICLES
1

Trailblazing Partners - Issue 6

2

Foreword - Issue 6

3

Issue 6 - Cover

Issue 6 - Cultivation