Tourism & Travel News South Africa

Africa Halal Week returns to Cape Town

Taking place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from the 7-9 October, Africa Halal Week - hosted in collaboration with the Western Cape Government's Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the City of Cape Town and Wesgro - will, for its second year, foster business linkages and conversations, as well as highlight opportunities spanning across sectors including Halal FMCG (including halal-certified food, beverages, spices and sauces), tourism, Islamic banking, modest fashion, film and media promotion, investment and trade opportunities in South Africa, Africa and the rest of the Muslim world.
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Image source: Gallo/Getty

Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier said: "The Halal market is expected to grow significantly over the next few years, so it makes complete sense that, as a region already producing Halal products, we are tapping into this opportunity to grow our economy and create jobs."

"The recent visa waivers by the Department of Home Affairs for travellers visiting from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates will support trade with these countries. We look forward to furthering reviews of other countries that might also enjoy the relaxation of visa requirements to support the ease of doing business with the province."

"An estimated R200m in trade declarations was secured as a direct result of Africa Halal Week 2018, so I’d like to encourage interested exhibitors and buyers to register for this year’s conference," added Minister Maynier.

Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris, welcomed the announcement of Africa Halal Week 2019 and the focussed effort to grow Halal exports out of the Western Cape.

"In the 2018/19 financial year, Wesgro’s international trade team undertook a number of Halal focussed export missions, helping Western Cape companies access the growing Halal market in the rest of Africa and the world. These missions, to countries such as Malaysia, Senegal, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates, have helped companies sign R1,7bn in trade deals. Africa Halal Week is a key component of our effort in this regard, as we position ourselves as the Halal export hub of the African continent," added Harris.

In 2018, 66 exhibitors displayed their products in the food, beverage, fashion and services sectors such as tourism, 20 international buyers of Halal products attended which formed part of the 25 international guests and a total of 777 guests registered for the event.

The Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, together with Wesgro, has been working closely with Halal Certification bodies in order to secure the right exhibitors for the event. In addition to this, on 2 September 2019, between 8.30am–2pm, Wesgro will set up live registration stations for Halal-certified, Western Cape-based companies in the Halal goods and services industry at the Reserve Bank Building, 60 St George’s Mall, 18th floor, in Cape Town. Exhibitors will be able to secure a stand at a special rate of R2,500 ex VAT. Those interested can contact az.oc.tirgerup@ailaa for more.

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