SafriCanna, the largest producer of medicinal cannabis in Africa, has received confirmation of its EU-GMP Certification and outlined plans to drive fast growth through the global expansion of its sales.
EU-GMP Part I Certification is a major milestone for the company, enabling SafriCanna to continue expanding its footprint in Germany while entering new markets such as the UK and Poland.
EU-GMP Certification is required by producers of medicinal cannabis outside of the EU who wish to export to countries in the European Union. The certification demonstrates the company’s commitment to the production of high-quality THC medicinal cannabis flowers that follow EU-GMP principles and guidelines.
SafriCanna operates the largest and most advanced cannabis production facility in South Africa. Situated at Centurion, Gauteng, the facility is located at an altitude of 1,500 meters, which is optimal for cannabis production. Centurion also has more than 280 sunny days per year, making it the perfect location for cannabis growing.
The company supplies its products, which contain high levels of THC with unique terpene profiles, to wholesalers. SafriCanna currently employs more than 70 employees and plans to radically ramp up this figure to ensure that its Quality Management System continues to support its EU-GMP Certification. The company expects this number to grow to over 600 in line with expansion as it caters to increased European and global demand.
The company has also reconfirmed that it will invest $40 million on expanding its current facilities, with a view to increasing its production to 25,000 kilograms of cannabis flowers a year from 5,000 kilograms in the immediate term.
Founded by leading entrepreneur Bassim Haidar, SafriCanna was established in 2019, with the construction of its production facility reaching completion in 2020. The facility was expanded to cater to increasing demand in 2021.
Bassim Haidar, founder of SafriCanna, said: “EU-GMP Certification is a huge milestone for the company, and now puts us in prime position to become one of the world’s major producers of medicinal cannabis.
“EU-GMP Certification is validation of the quality, integrity, and robustness of our production processes and facility. It is also an endorsement in the quality of our growing, technical, and R&D teams. Europe is an immense and growing market, and we intend to become the producer-of-choice of medicinal cannabis within these countries.
“Regulation, such as EU-GMP Certification, is a good thing for the industry. It ensures that standards are being upheld in the industry, and it will provide reassurance to patients that products are safe and of high quality.
“This Certification will also cement South Africa’s position as one of the best places to grow cannabis worldwide. We are seeing a strong, innovative, and high-quality cannabis industry evolve in South Africa, and we will play our own role in supporting the growth of the sector locally with our own continued investment and expansion.”
