Cheeba Cannabis & Hemp Academy, trading as Cheeba Cannabis Academy (Pty) Ltd, describes itself as Africa's first dedicated cannabis and hemp education provider. Its flagship campus is in Rivonia, Johannesburg, with a satellite campus in Plettenberg Bay and course delivery/partnerships extending to the Eastern Cape (Mthatha) and other African countries (Malawi, DRC, Lesotho). The exact founding year is not stated on the site, but the CEO has described a four-year accreditation journey culminating in 2025. The academy specialises in cannabis and hemp cultivation, medical cannabis, extraction, cannabis business/entrepreneurship, and sustainable farming. In 2025 it obtained Council on Higher Education (CHE) accreditation and provisional Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) registration for a Higher Certificate in Cannabis Production & Management (NQF Level 5, 120 credits; CHE reg. H/PR1283/AR003CAN, DHET reg. 2025/HE07/006, SAQA ID 124085) — reportedly the first accredited higher-education cannabis qualification in Africa. Other short courses are delivered via industry endorsements (e.g., University of Limpopo/Edupark, AgriSeta, Services SETA) rather than CHE/DHET accreditation.
Qualifications & Programmes
- Higher Certificate in Cannabis Production & Management (NQF Level 5, 120 credits, CHE/DHET accredited, 1 year, full-time, Rivonia campus)
- Cannabis & Hemp Industry 101 (12-week comprehensive programme, endorsed via University of Limpopo/Edupark)
- National Certificate in Plant Production – Cannabis & Hemp (AgriSeta SETA-aligned)
- Industrial 8-week Hemp Training (Services SETA-aligned)
- Cannabis & Hemp Business Mastery Programme (in partnership with GIBS)
- Cannabis & Hemp 101 Professional Certificate (online, part-time)
- Internship Programme (4-week hands-on cultivation programme, Plettenberg Bay campus)
- Growing Happy Indoor Cannabis (short course)
- Commercial Cannabis Cultivation Course
- Advanced Grow Workshop
- 1-day Hemp Cultivation (online)
- Cheeba Hemp Week
- Hempcrete Building Course
- 5-day Hemp Training
- Hemp Soap & Topical Making Workshop
- CBD Certification Course
- Advanced Ethanol Extraction Course
- Medical Cannabis CPD Course
- Medical Professional Cannabis CPD Course
- Medical Cannabis Seminar
- Cannabis 101 Fundamentals (online self-study)
- Cannabis Grow 101 (online self-study)
- Cannabis Consultant (Budtender) Certification (online self-study)
- The Fundamentals of Psychedelic Medicine