Canada-based global cannabis company White Sheep Corp. has broken ground on its cannabis facility in Lesotho, Africa.

The company purchased 9.7 hectares of real estate in Masianokeng, along a road just outside the capital city of Maseru, where it is constructing a 300,000-sq.-ft. cannabis production facility to grow medical marijuana and process it into high concentration oils.

The facility in Lesotho is a GACP and EU-GMP certified, steel-paneled greenhouse that is optimal for prime growing conditions and increased security and will feature hydroponics and a customized heating and cooling system to deliver quality crops.

White Sheep is pushing to complete the first part of Phase One (approximately 100,000 sq.ft.) in Q4 of 2019, which would generate cannabis crops in Q1 of 2020.

Once the 300,000 sq ft is fully operational, the facility is projected to produce approximately 58,200 kgs of cannabis per year.  White Sheep’s vision is to expand the facility to 1,000,000 sq. ft once commercial production is achieved.

“Having executed one export of medical cannabis already to Canada, Lesotho is poised to become one of the early global cannabinoid providers. White Sheep is one of the first movers in this new market and plans to become the preferred supplier and brand of choice,” Hamish Sutherland, the founder and co-CEO of White Sheep, stated.

Lesotho is Good for Greenhouse

White Sheep’s global analysis guided us to southern Africa, specifically Lesotho, because it is known for good mountainous conditions that are ideally suited for controlled greenhouse operations such as high altitude, low humidity, and sunny climate.

Lesotho is a politically stable constitutional monarchy led by a pro-medical cannabis government with favorable corporate tax rates.  There is a stable and experienced work force that is already accustomed to adhering to cGMP standards in the fabric and textile industry (which exports significant quantities to global brands such as Levi’s) and the diamond mining industry (led by Gem Diamond’s Letseng mine).

White Sheep purchased property that has power, water, mechanical infrastructure, and immediate access to qualified labor to produce high quality medical cannabis and derivatives for global export markets. There is a river on the property and the government installed a well, so there is constant access to clean, fresh mountain water which is untainted by pesticides. The facility is located beside a road and just 500 meters from an electrical switching station (220kv / 60 kva).

White Sheep secured a vertically integrated license to cultivate, manufacture (extract, process and produce end products), distribute, securely store, domestically transport, and export cannabis and its derivatives for medicinal purposes from the Kingdom of Lesotho.

Lesotho is the first African nation to legalize the commercial cultivation of medical cannabis.  The country occupies a strategic location globally, neighboring South Africa which has a population of 55-million people and is developing medical cannabis laws.