business of cannabis short course
in partnership with GIBS
5-week online with
2-day industry immersion in johannesburg

We are proud to have partnered with Africa's leading business school, Gordon Institute of Business Science - GIBS (University of Pretoria), to bring this course to the industry.

The Business of Cannabis short course focuses on the Cannabis and Hemp ecosystem and value chain and the development of entrepreneurial thinking and skills. The course will give attendees access to some of the sharpest and most experienced minds in the African Cannabis and Hemp Industry and also provide an international perspective on the global opportunity for African Cannabis. Students will be exposed to the three verticals that make up the Cannabis and Hemp industry supply and value chain while developing entrepreneurial skills that can be honed to navigate this and other dynamic sunrise industries.

As the Cannabis and Hemp industry emerges and governments open up legislation, the African Cannabis and Hemp industry is becoming an attractive business proposition for entrepreneurs, SMMEs, investors, health and wellness practitioners and agricultural specialists.

Considering the economic challenges our continent faces, sunrise industries are more important than ever before if we are to bolster our economies and drive job creation. The Cannabis and Hemp industry is well placed to become a seismic contributor towards this. The understanding and skills learned in this course can encourage research into, and entrepreneurial thinking about similar sunrise opportunities. For these industries to realize their full potential, seasoned business minds and professionals are needed.

The course will be instructor led via Zoom. Live session recordings, PowerPoint decks with notes and a resource pack of curated videos, reports, research articles, case studies and more will be shared with the students after each class. An assignment, an Action Learning Project (ALP), will be submitted for marking at the end of the course and will comprise of a Cannabis or Hemp industry related business pitch deck. Guidelines and a pitch deck template for the ALP will be provided at the start of the course.

An online Community Zone will be set up where attendees can network, support each other’s learning process and share knowledge and experience. 

The course ends with a 2 day industry immersion in Johannesburg where you will visit a number of businesses operating in the industry including a licensed Cannabis farm.  

LANGUAGE:
English

START DATE:
Tuesday, 27th July 2023

DELIVERY METHOD:
Online via Zoom:
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm - 8:30pm
Immersion in person:
Cheeba Cannabis Academy Campus, Rivonia, Johannesburg / Visit to a number of Cannabis businesses 
Friday, 1 September and Saturday, 2 September 2023 from 9am - 5pm 

COST:
R14,250 per person
Bring a friend and get a 10% discount  

BUSINESS OF CANNABIS SHORT COURSE

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

- Individuals older than 18 years at the date of enrolment and who have a Grade 12 (Matric) or equivalent
- Anyone interested in starting or growing a business in the Cannabis or related sunrise industries
- Ecosystem partners who are interested to learn, network, and support aspiring entrepreneurs
- Health and wellness / agricultural practitioners who recognise the importance of the Cannabis industry and
   want to start or grow a business within the value chain
- Investors looking to invest in the industry

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

- Describe the current Cannabis and Hemp legal framework and its challenges
- Identify the three different Cannabis and Hemp industry verticals and how they intersect
- Describe the Cannabis and Hemp industry value chain
- Demonstrate an understanding of the Cannabis and Hemp industry metrics that drive the commercial practices
   of the industry including but not limited to product price per gram, plants per square meter, yield per plant. 
- Identify employment opportunities in the Cannabis and Hemp industries
- Identify entrepreneurial opportunities in the Cannabis and Hemp industry
- Demonstrate the ability to commercialise a Cannabis and Hemp industry idea using business modelling skills
- Demonstrate an entrepreneurial mindset with transferable skills applicable to sunrise industries

MEET YOUR LECTURERS

Trenton Birch

Trenton is the CEO / Co-Founder of Cheeba Africa who run Cheeba Cannabis Academy, Cheeba Cannabis Training, Cheeba Cannabis Consulting, Cheeba Cannabis TV and Cheeba Delicious. He is also Co-Founder of the trade organisation Friends of Hemp South Africa and has been instrumental in driving legislation forward as the industry lead for pillar 8 (Education & Communication) of the Cannabis Master Plan. He is a regular public speaker and has been at the forefront of driving the South African Cannabis and Hemp industry forward for the last 4 years.  

Sibusiso Xaba

Sibusiso is the Co-Founder and CEO of Africa Cannabis Advisory Group, providing capital and support to start-up businesses in the Cannabis industry. He has experience in fundamental company valuations and security analysis, and he specialises in investment management, entrepreneurship, valuations, venture capital, and financial markets. Sibusiso is also an investor and strategic advisor at 7NRG® and the Chairperson of Ithuba Foundation.

Lebo Mabeba

Lebohang Mabeba is a Social Media Lead and Content Strategist, specialising in digital marketing and content marketing. She helps brands build advocacy and resonance with their audiences and leads teams of industry experts to help brands transform their business strategies into impactful campaigns and content. Lebohang has experience in B2B and B2C marketing and is currently a Social Media Lead at VMLY&R.

Natie Ferreira

Natie has over two decades of experience in the landscaping and the agricultural industry and is a Cannabis & Hemp farmer with over 15 years cultivation experience. He is a founding partner in Qure Analytics, a company that provides analytical services to all sectors of the Cannabis market in South Africa, has an extensive network in the industry and holds valuable intellectual property around producing Cannabis in South Africa. He is also the owner of Dagga Pharmacy and Tamatie. 

Dr Carmen James

Dr Carmen is an integrative doctor, health coach, speaker, and facilitator, specialising in women's health and hormone imbalances. She guides women to hormone balance and holistic health, resulting in higher energy levels, less chronic pain, and a better quality of life. Carmen has over a decade of experience in practicing medicine and is the founder of Dr. Carmen James: Health Coach. She is an Academic board member for Cheeba Cannabis Academy and has been lecturing in the medical Cannabis space for many years.  

Dr. Sizakele Marutlulle

Dr Marutlulle is an intersectional strategist, creative problem-solver, leadership guide, brand strategist, international speaker and diversity +inclusivity scholar. She has held several executive positions in the advertising/marketing sector and business. Since launching her strategy and ideation practice, (www.sizakelemarutlulle.com) she has worked with blue-chip companies and entrepreneurs across various sectors and multiple geographies to build high-influence brands that inspire people, grow companies and transform society. Coupled with executive program qualifications from New York’s New School for Social Research as well as Harvard Business School, Dr Marutlulle holds a MA in Sociology and a Doctorate in Critical Diversity from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Jeff Verlinden

Jeff is a Pharmaceutical and Cannabis specialist with a BSC in Biochemistry. He has a passion for bringing botanical medicine into the mainstream for specific patient treatment indications. Over the last few years he has focused on pushing to bring awareness to the need for harmonisation of standards for medicinal Cannabis and unregistered botanical medicines. He is a lecturer and Academic board member at Cheeba Cannabis Academy, runs his own Youtube channel called South African Cannabis Extraction and is a divisional manager at the pharmaceutical company Separations. 

Phivo Artemides

Phivo is a Hemp subject matter expert. He has a Masters of Urban Studies in the Field of Sustainable Energy Efficient Cities (with a focus on Hemp) from the University of Witwatersrand and is a content developer and Hemp lecturer for Cheeba Cannabis Academy. He is passionate about how Hemp can contribute to sustainable development and the upliftment of rural communities across South Africa.

Noxy Mhlongo

Noxy is a promo producer / editor for DSTV and one of South Africa’s leading Cannabis influencers. She is a presenter for Cheeba Cannabis TV and features regularly with product reviews, industry updates and is on the pulse of what is happening in Cannabis culture across the country. 

Tebogo Thlapani

Tebogo Tlhopane is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Biomuti, a healthcare business that specializes in plant-based complementary medicine, including Cannabis. He is also the Chairman of The Cannabis Trade Association (CTAA), which seeks to regulate Cannabis-related products for health and well-being. Tebogo comes from a family of healers and grew up surrounded by plant medicines. Although he had a career in technology, he finds his work with plant medicine to be the most rewarding, seeing how it helps and changes people's lives. Tebogo's focus is on promoting products that can deliver these benefits to people, with a particular interest in Cannabis.

Linda Siboto

Linda is the Director / Co-Founder of Cheeba Africa who run Cheeba Cannabis Academy, Cheeba Cannabis Training, Cheeba Cannabis Consulting, Cheeba Cannabis TV and Cheeba Delicious. He sits on The Cannabis Traders Association (CTAA) board and is the secretary of AFASA’s (African Farmers’ Association of South Africa) Cannabis Commodity.

Dr Jefferson Yu-Jen Chen

Dr Chen is a full-time faculty of the Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria, and a consultant of Forward Notion Advisory. He is also co-leading the GIBS MBA Consulting Stream and trains a group of meticulously selected MBA Students to become the next generation of problem-solvers. Prior to joining GIBS, Dr Chen served the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for 8 years.

Dave Tait

Dave is a seasoned Cannabis grower with over 15 years experience. He is the Co-Founder of the retail store The Green Grow Room which sells Cannabis horticultural products to the evolving industry. He is also one of the lead cultivation lecturers at Cheeba Cannabis Academy.

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