Cannabis legalisation in West Africa: the 2026 picture

In 2020, Ghana amended its narcotics control law (the Narcotics Control Commission Act) to authorise, under licence, the cultivation of cannabis whose THC content does not exceed 0.30%, for industrial and medical purposes. Simple possession for personal use theoretically remains punishable, but the penalties were reduced by the same reform. This framework draws directly on the logic of European industrial hemp, with a THC threshold comparable to the one applied in France.

Nigeria applies a strict ban through the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, with heavy criminal penalties in theory. In practice, the country remains one of the largest informal cannabis markets on the African continent, a situation documented for decades by the international anti-trafficking agencies. No reform is currently on the agenda at federal level.

The great majority of the other West African countries, among them Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso and Benin, apply conventional prohibitionist legislation inherited from the international UN conventions. None of these countries has, to date, opened a medical or industrial sector comparable to Ghana's.

The Ghanaian framework concerns a licensed agricultural and industrial sector, not a consumer market open to private individuals or tourists. It has no bearing on the French framework for CBD, governed by the 0.30% THC threshold in the finished product and by the European Novel Food regulation for ingestible products. Travelling in the region with a CBD product bought in France remains inadvisable, as most of Ghana's neighbours still classify cannabis as a narcotic with no distinction as to THC content.

Is cannabis legal in Ghana?

Partly. Since 2020, the cultivation of low-THC hemp has been authorised under licence for industrial and medical purposes. Recreational use remains punishable, with reduced penalties.

Is Nigeria going to legalise cannabis?

No reform is under way at federal level. The country maintains a strict ban, despite a substantial informal market documented over a long period.

Does the Ghanaian reform resemble the French framework for CBD?

The THC threshold used, 0.30%, is comparable, but the Ghanaian framework concerns a licensed industrial sector, not the sale of finished products to consumers as in France.

Can you travel with French CBD in West Africa?

It is not advisable outside the Ghanaian industrial framework. Most neighbouring countries prohibit cannabis with no distinction as to THC content, whatever its legal status of origin.