Media Release: Western Cape gearing up for Africa Halal Week

Next week, the inaugural Africa Halal Week kicks off in Cape Town- offering local Halal businesses and international buyers a platform to meet and interact.

The three day event will include trade exhibitions, business to business meetings and discussions around all aspects of the Halal market, including food, tourism, modest fashion, Islamic finance and Muslim film.

Under Project Khulisa, the Western Cape has set itself the goal of doubling its Halal exports by 2025. In doing so, the province stands to create approximately 32 000 new jobs, and contribute $58 million to the economy.

Minister Winde said: “We’ve seen Halal relevant exports grow by R900 million since the start of the project to reach R10.2 billion in 2017 and we hope to keep up this momentum and situate the province as the premier Halal market in Africa. Africa Halal Week, together with the numerous outward missions Wesgro has conducted this year, play a large role in marketing the province’s Halal offerings to the rest of the world.”

The event will host at least 70 businesses, and a group of more than 30 buyers and investors from around the world.

Wesgro CEO Tim Harris said: “Growing at double the rate of the non-Muslim world, it is predicted that the global Muslim population will equate to 31% by 2060. This provides exciting trade, tourism and investment opportunities for the Cape, as we seek to establish the province as Africa’s halal hub. We trust that the week’s programme will provide attendee’s with a better understanding of the business opportunities within the Halal sector in Cape Town and the Western Cape, the rest of Africa and globally.”

The Western Cape’s Halal exports currently include a large amount of fruit and seafood. However, research has shown that there is excellent potential for agri-processed products like cheese, sauces, snacks, baby foods and cosmetics.

The MasterCard Halal Trip report for 2018, also indicates that tourism opportunities catering to the Muslim market are a fast developing market. According to the report, the global Muslim tourism market is set to reach $220 billion by 2020. 131 million Muslim visitor arrivals were recorded in 2017, expected to grow to 156 million by 2020.

Minister Winde said: “The Western Cape is already home to an established and historic Muslim population, allowing Muslim visitors from around the globe to experience a diverse cultural experience. By opening up new routes through our Air Access initiative, we’re making it easier than ever before to travel to Cape Town. Africa Halal Week was established to showcase all of these aspects of the Halal market to potential investors and buyers, and to develop an understanding of what we have to offer as a Halal market.”