Harnessing the Power of Cannabis: UNIVEN summit brings together experts and stakeholders to deliberate on sustainable, equitable beneficiation

On June 11–12, 2025, the University of Venda (UNIVEN) Directorate of Community Engagement, Entrepreneurship, Inclusive Innovation, and Commercialisation hosted a two-day Collaborative Cannabis and Hemp Summit at the University’s Sports Hall. The event brought together over 120 stakeholders from across government, academia, traditional leadership, and the private sector. The theme for this summit was “Unlocking cannabis potential towards the achievement of sustainable development goals by 2030 in Vhembe District.” The summit marked a significant step forward for cannabis policy and innovation in South Africa.

Professor Vhonani Netshandama delivered the welcome address on behalf of Professor Francis, representing the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Bernard Nthambeleni. In her remarks, Professor Netshandama said that UNIVEN’s commitment to ecosystem’s approach, interdisciplinary collaboration and community engagement, entrepreneurship and inclusive innovation as well as commercialisation initiatives that aligns with the university’s vision of being an engaged -entrepreneurial and socially impactful institution that cares about the environment and economic emancipation of citizens. Entrepreneurship, Inclusive Innovation, and Commercialisation.
“We are grateful to the leadership of the executive mayor and the collaboration to cre-ate spaces for dialogue like this, which elevate Indigenous knowledge systems in tack-ling the complex and complicated challenges surrounding cannabis beneficiation, commercialisation, and national as well as international benchmarking,” Prof Netshan-dama explained. She concluded her address by clarifying that the university is com-mitted to sharing its resources to support the cannabis industry’s growth. Working together, participants hope to find ways to influence policy, map the ecosystem, create col-laborative action research and innovation teams that benefit the industry in sustainable ways.
The summit started with an opening address from Vhembe District Executive May-or, Freda Nkondo, who stressed the importance of fresh ideas and sharp minds to ad-dress societal challenges. “This is one of those summits that plays a significant role in exploring the potential of cannabis and its impact on the economy and health,” she said. According to the Executive Mayor, the summit of this nature carries enough weight to help dig deep as they navigate to unmask the importance of cannabis and what impact it has on the lives of the people, both economically and health-wise.
Cllr Nkondo mentioned that the South African government is working towards a comprehensive framework for the cannabis industry, and the summit pro-vides an opportunity for stakeholders to share knowledge and best practic-es. As she put it, “The summit is more of a sharing hub and will provide in-depth information about the grants, regulations, and best practices to cannabis.”
The Executive Mayor underlined the potential of the cannabis industry to create jobs and boost the local economy, particularly in rural areas like the Vhembe District. She concluded by encouraging the audience to organise themselves in a way that will en-able them to make submissions to influence enabling policies, regulations and laws.

Over the two days, the summit engaged participants in critical discussions about can-nabis sector development. Day One was centred on Limpopo’s cannabis landscape, na-tional legislative frameworks, ARC’s ongoing trials in Levubu, and the potential of the South African Cannabis Master Plan. Experts also explored funding avenues and offered global insights into cannabis regulation aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

On the last day, focus shifted to innovation and empowerment, spotlight-ing the journey from laboratory research to market-ready cannabis prod-ucts. Sessions explored cannabis-infused Agro-food innovations, youth involvement in the green economy, UNIVEN’s phytochemical research strengths, entre-preneurial journeys, and support mechanisms for cannabis SMMEs. The role of local gov-ernance in creating a sustainable and inclusive cannabis industry also took centre stage.

Professor Edwin Madala of the University of Venda presented the institution’s commit-ment to supporting local farmers through advanced chemical analysis of plant prod-ucts, using its in-house mass spectrometry facility. This initiative is grounded in ex-tensive research from Prof. Madala’s lab, including a recent PhD study by Dr Dakalo Lorraine Ndou, which revealed that Moringa plants, though visually similar, exhibit di-verse chemical profiles. This variation underscores the need for detailed chemical sur-veys before making claims about the pharmacological benefits of plant-based products.
To enhance scientific credibility and community collaboration, the university is establish-ing a Centre of Excellence in Mass Spectrometry Research. As part of this effort, the universi-ty also aims to subsidise analysis costs for local farmers, strengthening trust and engagement.
Additionally, research on cannabis, conducted in partnership with the University of Johannesburg and Dutch bioinformaticians, was shared with farmers. The study found that cannabis contains a wide range of active compounds beyond CBD and THC, highlighting its broader therapeutic po-tential. The presentation also addressed factors influencing chemical composition, such as soil chemistry and hydroponic cultivation, offering new opportunities for agricultural innovation.

Ms Maumela delivered an insightful presentation, drawing from her co-authored ar-ticle, Potential Cannabis Commercialisation Benefits in South Africa’s Canna-bis Masterplan, Ms Maumela presented a case study of Limpopo Province, high-lighting the socio-economic opportunities outlined in the Cannabis Masterplan.
Her presentation emphasised the Masterplan’s potential to drive job creation, eco-nomic growth, tax revenue, and community development in rural regions like Lim-popo. Ms Maumela explored diverse applications of cannabis, including medi-cal CBD, food, textiles, and sustainable agriculture, as key drivers of economic diversification. She also addressed critical challenges hindering commercialisation, such as societal stigma, the complex South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAH-PRA) licensing process, and infrastructure gaps. To address these, she recommended sim-plified licensing frameworks, targeted support for small-scale farmers, and public aware-ness campaigns to reduce stigma and promote inclusive participation in the cannabis sector.

In her presentation, she underscored the vital role of the Limpopo Agro-Food Technolo-gy Station (LATS), based at the University of Limpopo, in advancing agro-processing and sup-porting enterprise development. LATS provides technical and scientific support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agro-food sector, particularly in developing prod-ucts from indigenous and underutilised crops. Through applied research and process inno-vation, the station improves food production efficiency, safety, and nutritional value. It also offers laboratory services such as nutritional analysis, microbial testing, and shelf-life as-sessments, while helping SMEs meet regulatory standards and enhance competitiveness.
She highlighted LATS’s broader contributions to community upliftment and econom-ic growth by empowering local entrepreneurs, promoting the use of local agricultur-al resources, and fostering job creation. The station also plays an educational role, offer-ing training, internships, and research opportunities for University of Limpopo students. By supporting the processing and commercialisation of Indigenous foods, LATS contributes to food security, reduces post-harvest losses, and helps preserve traditional food knowledge.
She concluded by announcing that the University of Venda and the University of Limpo-po are formalising a partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to en-hance institutional collaboration. Community members were encouraged to submit products for testing through the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT), which will coordinate with LATS.

Dr Ndzotoyi from CSIR acknowledged the collaboration between CSIR and the Limpopo Cannabis Forum. She emphasised that her responsibilities involve mentoring and collaboration, as part of multidisciplinary teams, where she works closely with industry partners and fellow researchers to drive innovation in agroprocessing. Through this work, she supports CSIR’s mandate to im-prove South African quality of life by developing market-ready products and strengthening lo-cal manufacturing capabilities. Her duties include designing product formulations, overseeing pilot production, ensuring quality control, and transferring technologies to commercial stages.
Mr Ramaanda Daswa, who presented on Unlocking Youth participation in the Green Econ-omy, has emphasised that the Limpopo Hemp and Cannabis Farmers Association is a co-operative dedicated to cultivating and supplying medicinal cannabis and hemp. The as-sociation promotes the health benefits of cannabis-based products like oils and teas, while also focusing on community empowerment. Through educational sessions cov-ering cultivation practices, value chains, processing, and packaging, the group aims to build local skills and encourage broader participation in the cannabis industry.
The association also collaborates with institutions like the University of Lim-popo to integrate traditional knowledge systems and ensure compliance with SAHPRA regulations, thereby improving market access for small-scale farm-ers and contributing to sustainable agricultural development in the region.
Rendering the words of support, Chief Magoro, representing the house of tradition-al leaders, mentioned that they are fully in support of the summit, as it has shed light on job creation for the youth in rural villages. “We need to harness the potential of this in-dustry to drive economic development and uplift our communities. I believe a cannabis fo-rum will provide a vital platform for stakeholders to collaborate and share knowledge.”

Mr Mushaphi Local Economic Development (LED) Manager, Vhembe District, presented the proposal that should inform the creation of the collaborative Vhembe
Cannabis association forum, as suggested with the founding good governance principles as follows: Participation, Rule of law, Transparency, Responsiveness,
Consensus oriented, Equity and inclusiveness, Effectiveness and efficiency and Accountability. Professor Vhonani Netshandama, Director of Community Engagement Entrepreneurship, Inclusive Innovation, and Commercialisation at UNIVEN, summarised the proceedings of the day and encouraged participants to volunteer for some of the work of the forum so that Vhembe becomes the leading district in the province.

Vhembe District Municipality MMC, Cllr Anderson Mudunungu, in his closing remarks, delivered a heartfelt vote of thanks, praising all attendees for their contributions and enthusiasm. He high-lighted the importance of teamwork and visionary leadership in driving transformation. Cllr Mu-dunungu pledged his continued support for the summit’s initiatives and affirmed his belief that meaningful progress is achievable when communities come together around a shared purpose.

Among the highlights of the Summit were exhibitors who have begun their journey to-ward commercialisation. One of them was Mr Ramaanda Daswa, a young entrepre-neur who showcased cannabis-infused gummies. Another was JoAnne of Ms. Jenni-fer Badane, who displayed a range of cannabis-based products, including infused water, cosmetics, healing oils, and hair lotion. Both exhibitors hold the necessary per-mits and serve on the executive committee of the Limpopo Cannabis Association.

In a notable cultural moment, the event was graced with a powerful performance by renowned artist Dr Colbert Mukwevho, whose music added vibrancy to the pro-ceedings and echoed the summit’s themes of healing, unity, and empowerment.

Issued by:
Department of Marketing, Branding and Communication University of Venda
Tel: 082 868 2218 / 082 868 1811