Online Reporter
Trust Freddy
Zimpapers Correspondent
The Government’s policy to legalise the production of medicinal cannabis is bearing fruit, with a multi-million-dollar value-addition facility in Headlands now transforming the “green gold” into high-end pharmaceutical products.
Ivory Medical, situated in the Makoni Rural District in Manicaland Province, has emerged as a frontrunner in the industry, answering the Government’s call under the National Development Strategy 1 and 2 to move away from the exportation of raw materials towards industrial beneficiation.
While the entry cost into the sector remains steep — with licencing fees alone hovering around US$60 000 — Ivory Medical has distinguished itself by moving beyond farming.
The company is now producing Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients locally, effectively substituting expensive imports
Speaking during a tour of the facility, Ivory Medical quality assurance manager, Mr Fortune Chagonda, noted that the company is one of the first beneficiaries of Statutory Instrument 62 of 2018.
“In 2023, we answered the call of the Government policy . . . which speaks to the beneficiation of raw products into finished products,” Mr Chagonda said. “We are in the business of processing and value-adding cannabis, taking biomass from various licensed farmers and specialising in processing that into finished products.”
The facility is producing high-purity Cannabidiol (CBD) distillate and CBD isolate crystals with a 99,9 percent potency.
These ingredients form the basis of the company’s CBD oil product line, which includes six medicines already registered with the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ).
Quality Control Manager, Mr Opulence Zhou, revealed that the plant is currently producing CBD distillate and CBD isolate crystals with a 99,9 percent potency.
“From these two active pharmaceutical ingredients, we can formulate finished products that you can find over the counter in your pharmacy for various ailments,” explained Mr Zhou.
“To date, we have six products registered with the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ).
“These are CBD oil products that you can find in your pharmacy over the counter. And these are products that are categorised as pharmacy complementary medicines that can help you with sleep, stress relief, anxiety relief, and can be used as well for chronic pain etc. And we also have some consumer products in the form of hair, body and beard oils that can be found in your supermarkets just for beautification.”
To bolster production, a massive one-hectare greenhouse (prefabricated grow house, ) is currently under construction.
The state-of-the-art facility will utilise indoor vertical growing systems to produce high-grade THC biomass.
“In the future, we are going to move on to our main facility, which is the main operation that we have here at Ivory Medical, which is still under construction.
“And we are targeting that by the third quarter of 2027, we would have that building over there fully functional. In there, we are going to have indoor cultivation units that we are going to be using to cultivate THC biomass, which is the psychoactive cannabis that is used for medicinal use.”
Management expects the building to be fully functional by the third quarter next year, with high hopes of penetrating the European market and generating vital foreign currency for the nation.
“Inside that main facility, we are going to have the highest grade of cannabis that one can come up with. And this will be ready for export markets so that we basically get some foreign currency to drive the economy,” Mr Zhou added.
“This facility is built to achieve the highest international standards, specifically EU-GMP standards,” Mr Zhou added. “By 2030, the global cannabis industry will be worth around US$60 billion, and Zimbabwe has a perfect opportunity to be a regional leader.”
The impact of the project extends beyond the laboratory.
Ivory Medical employs 100 percent Zimbabwean talent and expects its workforce to grow to 50 professionals as the main facility goes live.
