Africa Halal Week delegates welcomed to Cape Town and the Western Cape

As the Western Cape Government, we welcome the delegates attending Africa Halal Week 2019 to Cape Town and the Western Cape.

We are delighted to be hosting the hugely successful Africa Halal Week at the CTICC in Cape Town for the second year, showcasing inspiring opportunities presented by the Halal market on the continent, and particularly the Halal industry in the Western Cape. 

The Western Cape is home to a large Muslim population, and a rich and diverse tapestry of Islamic history and culture which has earned us the reputation for being among the world’s most friendly destination for Muslims.

As the provincial government, we continue to embark on innovative programmes of action as we seek to build economic growth, economic resilience and economic inclusion to ensure job creation opportunities in the Western Cape.

The global Halal food market represents a significant opportunity for the Western Cape in this regard, as the global Halal market size is expected to reach US$9.7 trillion by 2025.

More significantly, halal trade in the Western Cape has grown over the last four years, with the sum of halal relevant exports to all consumers grew from R43.7 billion in 2015 to R52.9 billion in 2018 – a 21 per cent growth.

It is estimated in 2018, that Halal exports contributed almost 8 per cent of Western Cape total exports, while the top Halal export markets in that year were the UAE, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, while export growth to Turkey doubled in 2018.

Africa Halal Week 2019 is a great example of the Western Cape Government’s focus on export-led growth in the Halal Economy, and is hosted in collaboration with the Western Cape Government’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the City of Cape Town and Wesgro.

Over 24 international buyers will be joining this year’s event from countries including Mozambique, United States of America, Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Oman, India the United Kingdom, Kenya, Tanzania, and Ghana.

While more than 63 exhibitors have been confirmed, covering a range of sectors, including Islamic banking, modest fashion, film and media promotion, cuisine and investment and trade.

We welcome you, the players and thought leaders in the Halal industry, to the Western Cape and encourage you to explore the opportunities we offer.

To this end, I look forward to attending the First National Bank (FNB) Business Networking Function on the evening of the 7 October where attendees will have the opportunity to network and create the all-important business connections in the Western Cape Halal industry that only Africa Halal Week can offer.