The Global Halal Industry is a USD2.3 trillion market, with huge opportunities for global and regional players in livestock, food distribution, logistics and halal certification agencies. Córdoba has made a major step to become a significant player in the halal industry with its Halal Cluster initiative, linking its world-class agri-food sector research and the Halal food industry to develop world class Halal products for global consumers. And with its deep-rooted history of Al-Andalus, it is poised to attract an increasing number of Muslim tourists to the historic city.
In promoting the Halal Cluster initiative, Córdoba, with the support of the major public, national and regional institutions, invites the concentration and optimisation of resources of all industries and companies involved in the Halal market as represented in a growing business of over 1000 million Euros, involving 300 companies, 500 products of all kinds and export destinations in over 30 countries.
With the theme ” Invest in Cordoba” the WIEF Córdoba Roundtable 2015 will be held in the city of Córdoba, Andalusia Region in Spain on 23 – 24 March 2015 at the Córdoba University Headquarters, a stylish neomudejar building placed in one of the main avenues of the City of Córdoba, within reach of the famous Mezquita and other monuments of the city.
The Roundtable is hosted by the Cordoba Government and organised by the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) in collaboration with Córdoba’s City Council, Córdoba’s Provincial Council, and the IMDEEC (Municipal Insitute for Economic Development and Employment). The Roundtable is also co-organised and supported by the Chamber of Commerce, the University of Cordoba, Loyola University of Andalusia, the Halal Institute of Spain and Casa Árabe.
The 2-day Roundtable consists of 2 thematic discussion sessions on Halal Industry and Halal Tourism, guided matchmaking sessions to maximise networking amongst delegates and site visits. It will gather together international investors and business leaders from various countries interested in exploring business opportunities in Andalusia and Córdoba and in promoting a more dynamic Islamic economy especially in the areas of Halal Industry and Halal Tourism.
Participants consist of businesspeople in the Halal and Tourism Industry from Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cameroon, France, Ghana, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom.
“I am confident that the discussions that will take place including the business links and personal relationship forged during the roundtable would put all role-players and participants in good stead in developing mutually beneficial long term business partnership in the years ahead.” said The Hon. Tun Musa Hitam, Chairman of the WIEF Foundation during the Opening Session of the 11th WIEF Córdoba Roundtable 2015.
“This single biggest market in the world has been largely overlooked. By 2050, the Muslim population would grow to 2.6 billion and represent nearly 30 percent of the global projected population. However, the Halal market is not confined to Muslims only. It is also attractive to Non-Muslims who are supportive of the Halal aspects. Thus I am extremely happy to collaborate with the WIEF Foundation to convene industry leaders and experts here today to unfold some of the key issues in the management of the Halal industry, giving Córdoba a new opportunity to emerge again as a driver for Halal Market, Improving Economy and empoyment creation in the region” said His Excellency José Antonio Nieto Ballesteros, Mayor of Córdoba.
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About the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) Foundation
The WIEF Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation based in Kuala Lumpur, organises the annual World Islamic Economic Forum, a world-class business platform showcasing business opportunities in the Muslim world. The Foundation also runs programmes under the WIEF Businesswomen Network (WBN), WIEF Young Leaders Network (WYN) and the WIEF Education Trust (WET) and the WIEF Roundtable Series, aimed at strengthening people partnership and knowledge exchange between Muslim and non-Muslim communities across the globe. Some of the Foundation’s initiatives include the roundtable discussions, leadership programmes, knowledge transfer and skill development workshops, business networking forums, internship and scholarship programmes, the Young Fellows Programme and the Marketplace of Creative Arts Festival (MOCAfest). For more information on the WIEF Foundation, please visit www.wief.org.
About the WIEF Roundtable Series
In a highly competitive global business environment, the ability to identify new market and adapt quickly to new conditions are precursor to success. The WIEF Roundtables designed as interim programmes to the WIEF Annual Forums, seek to be an influencer of this success. The WIEF Roundtables provide a unique avenue where corporate leaders, businessmen, investors, and entrepreneurs can congregate to discuss economic issues and explore new creative ideas to existing business strategies. Previous Roundtables were held in Bahrain, Istanbul, Moscow, Johannesburg, Dhaka, London, Madinah, Jakarta and Pyeongchang. The WIEF Roundtable Series has received overwhelming response and support from government leaders, business communities, and the media of the respective countries. Due to the runaway success enjoyed by the programme, the WIEF Foundation plans to hold more Roundtables in the future. Plans are afoot to hold similar programmes in Morocco, Japan, China and Australia.
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