📺🔴 #LIVE: ICCDK OFFICIAL LAUNCH AND NAIROBI HALAL RECEPTION transcript

[clears throat] [singing] Yeah. for for [singing] [clears throat] the kind Fore [singing] >> [snorts] >> Please, please, before you leave, I would like to make a special request to Kari Hassan. son. There is a brother that was supposed to be in this room today, this morning. He was healthy. He was okay. He was good. As a matter of fact, we spoke on Thursday when he was in Malaysia. I lost my brother on Wednesday. So, he texted me from Malaysia.

Message of condolence. He was to be here with us this morning. He's going to be buried today. in Malaysia. Brother Adam was the vice chairman at the Adams Masjid and he was the deputy treasurer at Jama Masid. He was a pillar in our community. He did a lot selfless brother. So I'd like to invite and ask please Hassan to make special dua for our brother as he's going to be buried today. Please brother. [snorts] Alhamdulillah. foreign.

Thank you so much. the profiles and the faces I see around the room, the elders who have held our hand throughout the halal journey and this community by extension are so great. Subhan Allah. May Allah bless all of you. Brothers in the morning I woke up actually last night I went to Zafaruk's place and we were there. So the family and everybody was sad. I was confused because of my proximity to brother. In the morning I woke up and I read the messages of announcements janaza jasams backlands and there is one message that came in the morning that made me have a total paradigm shift.

Total paradigm shift and my mood shifted and my mood changed and coming here to this event this morning I came a different person from how I woke up. [snorts] There is a group called Voices of Palestine that works together with a lot of Muslim organizations in supporting our brothers in Gaza. And this morning we received news from Gaza that the brothers in Gaza said we are going to do janaz of and I thought to myself I said everybody is talking good about everybody is talking good about him inshallah he's going to be from the people of paradise say a mean and I thought to myself what about And what about you?

Now, so allow me to take you down the memory lane in Islam, one of the things that is clearly and outrightly prohibited is interest and ribb. And you know, we are living in a very transactional world. Business, commerce, we have to do business. It's highly encouraged. So in 1998 the first Islamic circle was founded. Taquo there are elders sitting inside this room started thinking and talking and discussing about the status of Muslims in this country and their future.

And they thought of three things. Of course, I'm going to be corrected here in case I miss any word or any facts. I was young at that time, but again, history has it. So, they thought of the status of Muslims in this country and the future. So, they discussed three things. Number one was the whole ecosystem of halal. How are we just leaving and consuming things you're not sure it's halal or haramness? Said no need to come up with something.

Muslims need to consume halal. They thought on behalf of the um number two they thought about integrated schools and number three they they thought about Islamic finance. They then organized a trip South Africa for benchmarking purposes. And they came back four years after starting discussions, conceptualizations. In May 29th, 2007, First Community Bank got the first license to operate in Kenya as the first Islamic bank.

The same year 2007 in this country we had the Kenya Bureau of Halal certification and the founders are here and the elders are here and that's why I was saying the people in this room are so important to this community and generations to come are going to read about them. As a matter of fact, a story is told and professor when he's coming to the stage, he's going to give that story better. Said when they went to the central bank of Kenya to ask for the licenses to operate Islamic bank in Kenya, the response they got is how do we regulate an animal we don't know about?

So brothers, Muslim brothers from their own resources gave out money and sponsored trips to Malaysia and the UK and other places where Islamic banking was already operational. They sponsored CBK officials and they traveled and that is how finally we got the first Islamic bank in 2007. Takir. So in 2007 we got the K Kenya Bureau of FAL certification and we got the first Islamic bank. In 2016 this country had the first first halal trade expo in East and Central Africa 2016.

Today gathered here today to take it a step further. We're here today to launch the Islamic Chamber of Kumas and development in this country. So the future of halal can only get brighter, can only get better. Inshallah. Say inshallah. Without further ado, distinguished elders, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to welcome the secretary general of Islamic chamber of kumas and development of Kenya, his excellency Mr. Yu Hassan Kalawi to come and give his official remarks.

His Excellency Karib Busana [applause] [clears throat] esteemed guest. Uh it is with uh uh my uh best recognition for everyone sitting here. uh as our MC said, part of that group sitting here reflect the people who started more than 20 years ago uh to initiate that journey and part of the people sitting here are reflecting inshallah the future of uh that journey which please allow me to say it didn't start yet. Yes, maybe all of you are proud of what happened.

But uh when it comes to business, business is reality. Uh and reality comes through your impact. Numbers reflect maybe in the easiest way that impact. But uh the impact it goes deep and deep in everything we do as a humans and as Muslims. So uh for me to understand our modern history which is not my my my my speech today but I believe based on our brother what he he mentioned I need to to talk about that in the modern history uh Muslims found themselves in different situation.

And politically there was something called Muslim countries and something called non-Muslim countries. Okay, this classification is right from politics perspective but it doesn't reflect anything when it comes to reality because the reality is what is the impact of the Muslim value in the life regardless you live in Muslim country or in non-Muslim countries as you know in many Muslim countries they ban hijab they ban this and that.

So what what what's the meaning of classifying this country as a Muslim country? It is just because it joined the organization of OIC. But the reality as I said it is different. So here people they were free with their belief with building their mosques with uh ladies wearing hijab with establishing Islamic schools etc. So let us understand how we are building our communities and having our impact on different levels.

Muslims found themselves whenever they go when you read the history of Muslims in Europe, in Australia, in in that country even here. But here it is back centuries ago. Huh? Not just back to 19th or or 20th century. They started with the core which is building what? Mosques. So Muslims wherever they go they start with building massagid. And this is what prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam did when he immigrated from Mecca to Medina.

So masid for Muslim is not a place to pray because [snorts] you can pray anywhere as you know anywhere. So it has a totally different role or different rules on top of that role is to creating the seed of the community so that they can gather and sit together in a place the next step they take it and then in the mosque they do Quran etc or the or the religious studies etc. Then years later they achieve a situation where they start to think about building for their kids their own schools and this is as I said it is always happening across the world.

So this is the second step. So the second step they start to think about the future how we uh prepare our kids. So offering them the right education. So then we need to build our own schools. So this is the second step. The third step they start to think okay but what is our role for the whole communities. Now we are Kenyan not just Muslim we are Muslim and Kenyan. So what is our role? Then they start to go further step.

Here is the time where you start to create your own impact on the whole life and to do that with Muslims and non-Muslims with Kenyan and nonenian it is doing the business. Could you tell me which army of Islam of Muslims came to that part of the world and it changed it from non-Muslims into Muslims and when this happened? Can anyone remind me with that? Which army came to Kenya and changed the history of Kenyan from being non-Muslims into being Muslims?

No one remember that. Huh? >> Yeah. Never army. And this is majority of the world by the way, not just Kenya. So how that change? It is with the values of the good people and those good people were traders were traders. So those traders changed the whole world from the far east to the far west across the world. So creating the Islamic chamber of Kenya is a historical step. I don't like to compare is it more important than building mos.

No, no, this is not my speech but it reflect how the community here is ready to move to the further step and it is not just a national impact. It is up to you. It is up to you. But you are totally ready to take the step to have your regional impact across all countries in East Africa and maybe even Central Africa. Why not? It depends on you how you want to move. I always remind the people with Our roots, our roots is the value or the group of values which are reflecting in the Quran and in the life of prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam and anyone read Quran can understand that values very easily.

You don't need lectures you need you don't need professors to understand that. So if you just read Quran, you will discover what values should be reflected on you and how easy is that. So this is for a person like me with my mission which is global mission is a very very valuable step and it is a real movement from a phase where we are just uh thinking about the Muslim communities into another phase where we will take the Muslim communities to play the right mission to have our impact on the whole community and that impact as I said because of the conditions where you as Kenyan lives in should be a regional level.

So the way to do that is just to implement the concept of halal business. And the beauty of that halal business already developed to cover the whole lifestyle. The whole lifestyle. So it started 50 years ago just by creating a solution to avoid interest and to import halal food to countries. They need to import meat and chicken which started in Gulf area as you know. But today based on the great effort happened around the world especially in non-Muslim countries it is covering the whole spectrum of our life.

So today there are for example dozens of companies created by our great entrepreneurs around the world. They are designing and producing the sport, fashion and clothes for ladies. This was an issue always. But now our great entrepreneurs, they develop a very good quality of that clothes for ladies who want to go to to wear suitable uh clothes to do their workout. So it achieved that I mean I mean it is not just the necessity but it achieved everything in our lifestyles.

All that applications where it is facilitating performing your salah wherever you are also is part of that. So now you find plenties of application just to manage praying five times a day. So direction and the time wherever you fly it is in your app in your mobile has been also developed by great people around the world. So you have now plenty of applications and it is going beyond that everything you can imagine great people started to do that.

So where is Africa from that you can be the right hub of all that surfaces. You have a huge potential to be the hub of food securityities for your neighbors in the Gulf. And this is huge business. This is dozens of billions of dollars every year. And think about the logistic. It is it is nothing. It is really nothing. We are receiving in the Gulf more than $20 billion of goods from Brazil every year. Where is Brazil and where is the Gulf?

And there they are implementing that. And the country is not halal by nature because they don't do halal food. They are doing that just to export. But here your roots started long time ago, centuries ago. So people are doing halal by nature. But where is that? Where is it? So everything is ready. that we need only the leadership and that leadership existing today by launching Islamic chamber of Kenya. I want just to thank my brother the ambassador Abdak Abdi.

He is not Kenyan and he doesn't live here. But when when he listened some time ago, maybe two years ago to our vision of doing that and we are missing that leadership in Eastern Africa while the potential is already there. So he took it as a personal responsibility. So he did it and he worked it and alhamdulillah today we are celebrating the launching on that under his own leadership and mashallah in very short period of time.

I mean it took us like three four years in other countries to develop an Islamic chamber of commerce or uh Muslim business association with different names as you can imagine but he was dedicated to create that and he gathered all of you. It is not our effort it is his great effort. So uh there is really nothing which I can to say to show my deep appreciation to his effort to create that and to make it happen unless I ask you to support him and to be part of that leadership for the benefit of everyone and for the benefit of the whole Kenyans and for the benefit of the whole Eastern Africa region.

You need to work together. The world today is an institutional world. We as Muslims represent two billion 26%. Some uh studies mention 27 with the expectation on 2050 more than that. that we miss leadership and that leadership represented only in one way. It is the institutional way. Nothing. If you are the richest person in the world, you have no value unless you create the the right institutions in all aspect in business, in politics, in sport, in art, in culture, uh profitable nonforprofit organization, something like that.

Yesterday we enjoyed visiting Dr. Khalid Kiri and [snorts] surprisingly it wasn't just a program. He told me it he already registered that as nonfor-profit organization. Why? Because he understands sometime he will leave but the institution will stay. But if it is just his own effort and program it will end in the day he leave that country and he will leave. So he understand the institutional meaning. So he created he register it so that someone else can join and take the lead uh after he leave.

This is the meaning of institutions. We need to take that and again you live in a country ready to do that as a legal frame as legislation. You can do everything here. So please take that huge opportunity. If it is business, you are talking about hundreds of billions of dollars. This is not a joke. And everything is ready to move here if you take it seriously. So I don't think there is anyone in the world will not take it seriously if it is not business.

No, just to to to create your human impact, your Islamic impact with the Islamic value. This is the right time and this is the right way because in halal it is not just production and services. It start with the values behind that and that values will keep your impact very strong. Why people are crying today in the west? Because of the lack of ethics and interest reflect that in a very simple way. You are a person who are paying interest to the bank and then the bank has the freedom to raise your interest rate whenever they decide is that fair no one in the world will say fair even the banks but they say no but this is our contract okay I'm asking you is that fair or not fair no you signed the contract you accepted that they will never accept to say if if it is fair or unfair.

So this is the meaning of uh of interest. Why I am paying and then you come just because someone in the world in the rest of the world they raise the interest rate and then the central bank here also decided to follow that and to to raise the interest. Why? Why we signed that contract and this is my loan to you? No, this is how it work. Okay. Did Islamic banks failed? They didn't fail. They started and today we have more than two 2.5 billion trillion industry following the Islamic values and they don't have interest.

They don't raise the the rate. Okay? It is fixed. This is my loan to you because you bought you bought that car from me or you bought you had that mortgage. It is fixed. So just you need to pay me that. If if the interest rate go up down, no it is fixed. This is your loan. So it is the values. It is not just the contracts. It is the values behind that. So we need to work perfect when we have the perfect products and the perfect surfaces and we have the right communications including media and event no one will stop you or say no or you say you are doing something wrong as our MC said this is a different animal how we manage it.

No, no. Because today it is already proven. So you are not creating something not understandable like 20 years ago. No. This is now everywhere. Suk. Okay. Where is where is the center of the world in finance? It is London. Suk they they are non-Muslims and they have the best expert of sukok in the world because it is a professional industry. So please let us work together. Now the leadership has been created and the industry which will take you is the halal industry because halal as I said it cover the whole lifestyle and it is well accepted industry around the world and you have the right partners the global partners sitting with you.

So those people sponsoring that event all of them they are global and inshallah if anyone join us in in London after two weeks in our second London halal forum you will you will hear from the leaders of Turkish airlines how they are changing the world through the halal okay is a newcomer it it is just uh a new fintech new fintech started I believe 7 8 n years ago and today they have under their management more than $2 billion.

So this shows you how much is the demand. We are talking about an app which is receiving on a business more than $100 million every month. Where is Kenya from that? I mean the legislation is there is ready. you have a very uh safe and stable country. Why you don't take part of of that cake here? And Alb Baraka forum is the dedicated global forum to develop and promote Islamic economy around the world with managing three summits every year in Medina, in Estanbul and London.

All of them all of you are welcome to join us in all our different event. And uh beside that three summits uh there are two international conferences one in Karachi one in Cairo and again there is huge potential here. So we are bringing those three global partners to work and uh alhamdulillah since our first event we have even our local sponsor and we will be happy under the leadership of the Islamic Chamber of Kenya to take those lead those local sponsors to the regional level and inshallah even to the global level because as I said Wah just established eight years ago and Today they are managing $2 billion.

They they were quite happy when they shared with me just few months ago where we we reached 2 billion. I said inshallah you will reach 10 billion. You will never think about that 2 billion because you are capable to reach 10 billion. So this is the potential when you work and you have the leadership which has been created because that leadership always should come on into the shape of NGO companies compete with each other but NGO it work for the whole people for the whole industry for the whole country and for the whole region.

So please this is a historical day. It is a gamechanging not just for Muslims here, not just for Kenyan but for the whole part of the world which reflect the the beauty of Eastern and Central Africa. Thank you for joining us today and looking forward to to to work with all of you and inshallah to host you in our different event around the world. >> [applause] >> Wow. I think he deserves a better round of applause, man.

[applause] As his excellency was speaking, I was just revising some of the numbers I had once researched about and uh whatever he's saying is exactly that. So allow me just to read some of these numbers. Maybe just grab a pen and paper and look at these numbers. And inshallah from this numbers you will realize there is no better time to start this. Actually there was a better time which was yesterday and the fact that we didn't start this yesterday we here today.

We should not look back. So according to the global spending as of 2024 they say halal food alone in terms of consumerism the numbers were to the tune of$ 1.53 trillion modest fashion to the tune of 347 billion US Muslim friendly Travel we talking about $249 billion US media and recreation $276 billion. Hello Pharmaceuticals 112 billion. Hello cosmetics 92 billion. And if you add Islamic finance into it, we are talking of assets and numbers to the tune of 5.99 trillion US.

Ladies and gentlemen, by 2029, we are looking at the general consumer economy to go to 3.56 trillion and Islamic finance to go to 9.72 trillion making a total of 13.28 by 2029 which is in the next 3 years. So how much of that are you going to contribute? a very big challenge, his excellency challenged and said Brazil, Brazil. And this is a words that I also got from the ambassador of Palestine, his excellency Hazim Shabbat told me that Brazil and Ecuador are taking a larger share of exports in the Gulf.

Where are we? Where are we? It's a challenge for all of us. Without further ado, brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to welcome the president and founder of Islamic Chamber of Kumas and Development Kenya to come and give his remarks. His Excellency Abdul Razak Abd Al Hashiman Yassi Excellencies, distinguish distinguishes, respected business leaders, investors, representatives of financial institutions, development partners, members of diplomatic community.

Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you here this beautiful morning in capital city of Republic of Kenya and Nairobi. It's a great honor to welcome you to this important gathering as we are as we begin a new chapter for Kenyan engagement with the global halal economy. Today is not simply about launching an institution. It is about opening an economic gateway. The halal economy has evolved far beyond food and religious compliance.

It's now encompasses Islamic finance, food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, tourism, logistics, real estate, technology, healthcare, manufacturing and ethical business services. With the global halal economy estimated around 7 trillion dollars, the opportunity before us is significant. The question is not whether Kenya should participate. The question is how we position Kenya to capture this opportunity. Kenya has so many ingredients needed to become a regional halal economy hub, strategic location, strong agriculture potential and established financial sector. growing technology and manufacturing.

I invited here the government uh uh the private sector, financial institutions, development partners, investors and international business community to join us to build this ecosystem. Kenya has the potential. Africa has the market. The global halal economy has the demand. What we need now is to connect them and ICCDK is committed to build that bridge. With these words, I w I warmly welcome you all uh and reaffirm our commitment to positioning Kenya as a leading regional destination for halal trade, investment and ethical economic development.

And here I officially announce the launch of the Kenya Islamic Chamber. Thank you very much for being here. [applause] >> Thank you so much uh your excellency. >> The video first. >> Okay. >> The videos. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. Another warm round of applause please for the president. Now we're about to watch some videos of the London Halal Forum and the Mak Halal Forum. But even as you're doing that, you see Kenya is well known for safaris.

Kenya is well known for tourism. And I was talking to one of the trendsetters and best setters in the tourism sector. The elders in the room know him, Mr. Muhammad Al of Palisina. was in travels and I was talking to him and tell him Z why is it that we are not yet tapping into halal safaris you say because of the facilities around and then it made me go into research further so as a country we have 28 national parks 24 national reserves four sanctuaries none of them with a halal resort or hotel is said there none zero Pak said you will be shocked to know that we are not only losing not just in the Gulf market but actually in the Europe market mostly they are really really really interested about halal.

So you can imagine the potential that is there every time we start talking about halal. Without further ado at the bank inshallah we can start play the videos from the London Halal Forum and Makkah Halal Forum and the organizers are here. They're going to tell us more about it later, please. Technical. Can you have the videos, please? [laughter] >> [clears throat] >> Switch off the lights. Lights. >> Switch off the lights, please. 10,000 digital digitally and from 130 countries transforming into a global crossroads where visionaries leaders and pioneers came together shaping the halal industry's future featuring 50 highle speakers tightening up stage the forum became a catalyst for world conversations shaping the future of the halal industry the exhibition was nothing short of spectacular over The exhibitors from more than 16 countries brought the future of halal to life, showcasing cutting edge products and services that are redefining the global marketplace.

From seasoning live cooking shows to interactive workshops, every corner of bus with creativity celebrating the richness and rich of halal like never before. And the spirit of unity shown brighter than ever as 15 strategic cooperation agreements were signed, paving the way for a stronger, more sustainable tomorrow. The world was watching. Media coverage skyrocketed with over 1,500 publications, reaching an incredible 1 million views across 39 countries and 1,658 media outlets along with [clears throat] 25 influencers from across the globe. with 75 official country delegations and 26 national chamber leaders under one roof.

MHF26 which proved that when the global halal community comes together, magic happens. Driven by the growing global demand for halal. This forum has become more than an event. It's a movement. A gathering of dreamers, doers, and instructors who are reshaping the kala landscape together. Get ready for MHF 37 where bigger ideas will be greater impact. The journey continues. Stay connected. Stay inspired because the future of halal begins here.

Welcome to Makal for 2026. Join us for our second edition of London Hal forum where global leaders, business owners, and experts meet and connect for halal for humanity. Hosted in the UK, a leading [clears throat] market for halal sector, the forum highlights real demand and real opportunity for businesses around the world. At London Hal forum, exhibitors get to showcase their products and services. Investors get to collaborate with other stakeholders and experts get to discuss the market and what it takes to move further ahead.

As for you, you get the opportunity to network with the best in the market. Join us in the second edition of and get ahead in history in the 10th and 11th of October 2026 at the Queen Elizabeth United. Wow. Round of applause for top coffee. And this organized is always put together by halal 360. Of course, my brother Muhammad will come on stage to speak about it. Brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, you see there's something called fear of missing out for more.

And in my life, I've had that in two occasions. One is when I saw the Makahal forum and I actually intended to attend one last year but circumstances beyond me could not allow me. That's number one. Number two, this year Kenya hosted what you call the Africa forward. We had over 20 heads of states in Kenya. We had business leaders from Africa and other parts of the world in Kenya and an agreement of at least to the tune of 3.5 trillion investments that was agreed to be invested in Kenya and halal sector was not represented in the room.

I never felt formal and I never felt so bad like the way I felt in those two occasions. But I believe this morning that trajectory has shifted. That is going to change. And moving forward, brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, allow me to welcome my sister, one of the sharpest, smartest tax lawyers I've met. Despite her age, she's taken the niche. An amazing sister that we worked together since the days of universities and has become family.

Miss Faria Jama Wil Global to come and give Harry Kana my sister. It's a great honor to be here today. Welcome to the first Islamic Chambers of Commerce. This is an event that is so special to all the Kenyans here. We're welcoming you to Kenya and Kenya has been waiting for you for so many years. time has come and we are more than grateful to be one of the first local partners that you have. We are more than grateful to welcome you to the Kenyan space, the Kenyan market.

Kenya has everything you need and we are more than grateful to ensure that you have a smooth ride in this place. So my name is Faria Jama and today we are one of the most believing partners of Islamic Chambers of Commerce. Why do we believe in it? Because today is not simply about halal products. It's not about compliance. It it's not about economic ecosystem and capital investment. It is about ensuring that the wealth that is created, how it is shared and whom it serves serves a bigger community.

We started a journey 5 years ago and this journey was to introduce one of the most important products in the capital markets. And which product is this? This product is called the real estate investment trust. But before I tell you about our product, I want to just take you through the market. Islamic finance industry globally. You can see the market rate. It's showing you that the real estate market in this country and globally is growing.

Real estate market is now valued. From 2024, it was 697.8 8 billion and this is in Kenya shillings. The residential segment is moving from 618.8 billion. The whole real estate market is at 697.8 billion. But most important part that you need to understand is the Islamic finance. At that time in 2023 it was moving at 3.38. Within a short span in 2024 the market grew by 21% in a single year and it shows you that it moved to 5.98 trillion.

The real estate market in Kenya is already growing. So the question here is, is Kenya ready for halal investments? Is Kenya ready as a country? So we introduced a new product into the market and as we launch Islamic chambers of commerce in Kenya, we also want to introduce that as a company we are also launching the first Islamic real estate investment trust in Kenya and in East Africa. [applause] [cheering] And apart from that, we are also introducing the first Islamic fund that was licensed by the capital markets of Kenya on 6th July and it's happening in Kenya.

[applause] Why are we doing that? Just as the speakers ahead of me said, all of us have a role. We have a role to develop, impact and create a better society for the next generations. In this room, we have people who started Islamic finance at that time in history in 2008. But the market was not ready for us. Now the market is ready for us. But the question is, do we have the right halal products? Do we have the right halal institutions?

Do we have the right systems and ecosystem? We've been fighting for this product to come to market for the last 5 years. And why are we fighting? We are trying to prove to the capital markets that this product is ready. Now Kenya has the best legal infrastructure architecture that was built so many years ago since 2008. But what did we lack? We lacked innovators like you in the room. We lacked business owners who brought the product to market.

But with us taking a risk with the team on my left believing in the vision and the the the runners you're seeing of cell push those are the men who believed in this vision and they said we will risk for all of the communities the halal Muslim community in this country [applause] they risk their resources they risked their dreams they risked their assets but why are they risking they're risking because they wanted a better society, a better impact and to prove to the market that this can happen.

So today is not only a special moment to welcome Islamic Chambers to Kenya, it's a special moment to launch this product so that we become the pioneers to remind you all of you can join us in this movement. We started the movement and all of you are welcome to bring any product, any halal, any Sharia compliant product. So if you ever believe that this market was not ready for you, we've opened the gates for you. That's what I want to [applause] remind you.

So So Malaysia has already started. They're already making 36.87 from their total market share. You can see how much money they're making. The success story today they have launched over five Islamic REITs. They have launched. We are benchmarking with them because they already open the market that Islamic REITs can make more money, create more jobs, create more opportunities and this is a gamecher for us and as you heard Mr. are we mentioning that number one we are not moving from only being a local product we're ensuring we're going to the regional market we're ensuring we also create asset classes Africa is the next vision area Africa needs to be ready because Africa is actually where all this capital is moving to so we are positioning ourselves and so today's mission of this event why we became the local sponsors and partners of Islamic chambers is because we are trying to ensure we become a gateway a gateway to ensure GCC capital is moving to Africa and not only Africa Kenya it is the right positioning so you've seen Malaysia you've seen Saudi Arabia has ensured that Islamic rates and Dubai have been performing well now it's time for Kenya it's time for an African country to ensure to prove Islamic products are actually going to make it whether it's going to be suk whether it's going to be reads it's up to you to ensure that you come to market so these are the numbers this is materials that will be available for you with this small introduction with the numbers please ensure you form part of the market share that we are looking for so I will want to first congratulate and and and acknowledge recognize the team that has been building this behind the scenes the team that has ensured that all of you are seated here today and we were more than happy when Abdul Razak came to us and he said can you be part of us and sponsor and partner with us we welcomed him and we said we see your vision we know where you're going and we're supporting you fully and we'll support him fully from today and onwards so on my left the team from Cell Push could you please just stand up and and wave to the crowd.

[applause] So why ethical investment? These are the reasons why we're ensuring that we have collective investment income generating assets. We're going to ensure that we have a single purpose Sharia compliant companies. So all the companies that you're looking to bring to market, we're here to enable you to come to market. We're going to ensure that we are regulated. We want to be part of the legal minds building the next Sharia product.

We want to be tested as the benchmark to ensure we enhance the legal policies. So we were already working with capital markets. We're trying to ensure that capital markets are able to understand what we need for our ecosystem to thrive. So that's what we are working on. So you can join us. you can join our mission and if you are um a technical expert and you have knowledge that you want to share Sharia experts in the room please join us and ensure that this framework is really built for the next generation it's not about us it's about what have we done for the society when we leave the society have we left it a better place so that's where we are going we we are trying to ensure that Islamic finance when you hear about ESG ESG G basically is just ethical investment.

It's just coming back to halal 360 always. Yeah. So there it's just a nice English way of saying ethical investment. But if you look at it, every halal company that has been running has been having ESG. whether we are trying to promote um ensuring that there's no uh dulma that is happening there's pure uh uh uh governance in the system transparency and accountability all these are aligning to us so it's time we become more transparent ensure growing markets are happening and we ensure that this opportunity does not miss us we've started for you we want to ensure all of you join this mission You have brilliant brains in this room.

We we invited the high most level people in the society because we know you know understand these things and you will help us move this mission. So um that is my speech for the day and I'm looking forward to ensuring that all of you in the room will now join the bandwagon. Let this room not be the last room you're joining. We need your we need your mind. We need your efforts. We need your wealth. For those I know there are investors in the room.

Please contribute your wealth to the greater growth of this market. All of us are doing our part. We are contributing in the smallest way we can and we ensure that we will grow this market together. Thank you so much and we appreciate [applause] I'm sure you have seen when I said she's one of the smartest young ladies I know in this part of uh Africa. Round of applause once again for for her. Mah, you know the concept of REITs and and and if you justapose it against or put it against the backdrop of the general real estate business.

I was telling people and I've been saying this that I don't have numbers. I may not have numbers to prove it yet. But again, see growing up we saw real estate. We saw buildings sprouting in Nairobi in different places. But the growth of real estate in areas of Kilimani, Killeshawa and Lavington that are mostly in Paklands actually that are mostly developed by Muslims and the financing model are Islamic based zero interest.

It's enough proof of concept that actually there is need of Islamic halal ecosystem in this country. To further add on to that, the first license of Islamic bank as we say came in 2007, 19 years now, next year is going to be 20 years inshallah. And all all the major Islamic banks have Sharia windows and we have three fullyfledged Sharia Islamic banks in this country. If not to show you the potential of the market then else are we waiting for.

Brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, allow me to welcome my brother Sheh Badru Jaffar Sal who is a member of the Sharia Supervisory Board at the Dubai Islamic Bank, Kenya. Please round of applause as you welcome Shadu Jaffer Karim Badu. I give it to him. [clears throat] >> How long do you have? >> You had 15 minutes. Okay. To the best of my knowledge. 11 or 10 minutes. 10. Alhamdulillah. uh to start inshallah wa ta'ala I have a presentation but uh I think 10 minutes would not do service to the presentation that I had prepared and therefore I would like to talk through some of the a few uh points that have been mentioned before me by uh his excellency uh I believe Kalawi and also to my sister the lawyer and this is to start us with one basic and important aspect of what we are discussing.

If you look at a Muslim, you'll find that all of us would want to consume halal. Each one of us would want to consume halal. But if you look at halal, so whether it is in terms of food or clothing, you've been told about not just the uh command that these industries have, but rather the potential up to 2029. So we already appreciate the potential of halal industry whether in Kenya or globally. And we have also or we are here today to launch the Nairobi halal leadership reception and there was the aspect that has been mentioned of lack of leadership.

A poet says. Now one of the challenges that we have is lack of leadership as his excellency has mentioned and I would like to limit this to the halal industry where we talk about us consuming halal food. I don't know how many of us when we talk about halal food, we think if somebody has stolen that bread or that loaf of bread, is that what makes this haram? But if that loaf of bread has been acquired through unlawful means, meaning that either you bought it from with halal or with haram money, is that loaf of bread halal?

So now we would appreciate when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for example he says in the Quran do not give your dependence or those who are of feeble mind your property because of what? Because they will not be able to manage it properly. So when we talk about the halal ecosystem is it financed in a halal way. So that is the most important thing that inshallah I would like to talk about. I was asked to talk about suk and therefore when you look at these different halal businesses.

So whether it is the REITs or whether it is a manufacturing company, I have worked with the halal Kenya halal bureau uh Kenya Bureau of Halal certification and you would be surprised when we talk about a bottle of water. You'd be surprised that it might not be halal. a bottle of water because in the purification of that bottle of water, that water is taken through bones and the bones could be bones of a carcass that was not slaughtered in a halal way and therefore the bones are not halal.

They are not pure. They are nudges. So that water you're drinking is najis. So when we talk about halal, yes, we might be focusing on the you know halal aspect of that. This yes is pure but if it was financed in a nonsharia compliant way we have a big problem. So yes we talk about suk we can talk about us financing all these businesses in a sharia compliant way. Take an example in the Quran where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us of his people are reprimanding him and asking him asking him are these prayers your prayers are they stopping us from worshiping what our forefathers used to worship and are your prayers is making us stop managing our wealth the way we would like to manage our wealth.

So you appreciate that when we talk about halal the ecosystem one of the most important aspects of halal is actually how you finance that halal ecosystem. Whatever business you come up with that the financing component has to be Sharia compliant. Let us not be like a joke is said people are in a pub and they are drinking alcohol and then when the meat is brought and is this halal was it slaughtered in a halal way. So unfortunately this is what we find ourselves in that yes we might be focusing so much on you know the production whether it is the clo uh clothes whether it is the buildings that we are constructing you know whatever you can think of but if it has not been financed in a Sharia compliant way then we might not be consuming halal and an important aspect of halal an important aspect of halal something that is key to Our faith is what the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam says.

Any flesh that is nourished from haram, it is most deserving to enter hellfire. That is the risk that we run when we do not think about halal. when we do not think that you know what I am consuming whether it is you know my clothes or the food everything that I'm consuming has to be you know halal and the other risk that is also important for us to think about and reflect upon is when you have consumed haram something that is not pure when we have consumed haram the risk is that your prayers, your acts of worship are not going to be accepted.

So yes, we can talk about suk, we can talk about the whole ecosystem, but what is at risk? What is the risk that we are you know um highlighting with this kind of forums that to a Muslim this is something that is dearer to him that this is something that is so important. So let me just give an example. Let me just give an example with respect to what I was asked to talk about and that is a suk. Suk is simply an undivided share in a property and therefore if we wanted to come up with a project so whether it is a building or a plant or a factory that each one of us contributes a sum that is going to construct.

It is also going to help in terms of production if it is a factory. And that share that I have in that underlying asset allows me to generate or earn halal income from that from that property or from that investment. And therefore, suk is something that is important to us as a country where you can give examples of let's say the SGR. Everybody knows the SG, that train that we have. If the Kenyan government had raised funds to finance the SG and it be Sharia compliant, alhamdulillah, it would have been something good for the economy and we would not have maybe some of the challenges that we have because the beauty beautiful thing about Islamic finance is that it is assetbased or assetbacked and therefore we would want to see where this money actually went as opposed to when it is a bond or a conventional loan.

You see the corruption here in an Islamic financing instrument. The way we would finance, we want we would want to ensure that each single shilling has actually gone towards the property the the project itself and it is not you know misappropriated or it is not diverted as the case might be in many of our countries. >> [applause] >> Jafar, I think we give him a better round of applause inhaffer. [applause] Thank you so much Jafar.

And uh right about now we are ready to listen to a man that are sometimes called member, the lion of the member. when he steps on the member he rose and the message is delivered. He's actually one of the people who are behind the journey that I gave from 2003 to 2005 to 2007. [snorts] As a matter of fact, he's been one of my sources anytime I tell this story about the whole halal ecosystem in this country. He's a man that I love and respect.

He's a vice chairperson of Jamir Masjid, a lecturer and one of the pioneers I can say of Islamic finance in this country. Brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like you to give a warm round of applause to Professor Abdulatifi to be him a coffee. Please, as he's coming to give his keen remarks, please round of applause as he's making his way to the stage. Please get him a coffee. Alhamdulillah. Whenever I find um FAL, my younger brother, the MC, and I speak, I always fear what he's going to say about me.

Um may Allah accept his on me your excellencies uh distinguished guests ladies and gentlemen first and um foremost I would like to thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for having um brought us uh together inshallah to witness a milestone in this country a milestone that will not only be of benefit to Kenya and as his excellence has said the secretary general inshallah for the whole region not only South Africa but uh beyond I'm a lecturer so I always have my notes so you allow me to read through my notes although I have a lot of mics around here today while we are sitting here Today we thank you very much.

Wallah may Allah reward you and reward you. Our brother Ambassador Abra Abdak he's repeated it. You're not a Kenyan. He does not even live in Kenya. But subhan Allah, Allah led him to us. And what also impressed me when we had our talk, private talk inside there that you attributed the success of ICD especially with respect to the London halal forum to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He said this is baraka. I remember those words from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And we pray that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala puts baraka also in our Islamic chamber of commerce here in Kenya. The matter we have before us is not only limited to commerce. Even though we refer to ourselves as the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, it goes beyond that. It's a matter that includes inclusion. We're talking about cooperation. We're talking about development. We're talking about investment. And we are talking about the future of our communities.

I would like to echo the sentiments of his excellency here that halal economy is not exclusively for Muslims. When the word halal is mentioned, many minds run to confine it to the Muslims. The halal economy, as has been explained, must be understood as an inclusive economic system that benefits both Muslims as well as non-Muslims individually as well as collectively. And that is the way it should be treated. The halal economy should therefore be treated as an economic opportunity for the entire country Kenya and inshallah the region also.

So it is my conviction that the setting up of ICCD uh K will provide a platform for inclusion not exclusion for cooperation not separation shared prosperity and not limited participation. Kenya as we have been told and we also believe is strategically positioned and serve as a gateway to East Africa. We have a young population and where is she? Sister Far [laughter] I don't need to say more. I don't need to say more.

She is evidence of um of that Kenya has the potential and his excellency the secretary general has identified that it has the potential and opportunity to become a regional hub for halal economy. When people hear the word halal, the minds run to meat and food. And that's what we have been discussing quite a lot here. Yet, as has been pointed out, the halal economy covers the whole spectrum of human life. It also represents, and this is what is important, a set of values that are relevant to every society in the world, not only Muslim.

We talk of safety. We talk of cleanliness. We talk of quantity assurance, transparency, trustability, ethical sourcing, responsible production, consumer protection, accountability, and more important, trust. A Muslim may purchase a halal product because it meets his or her religious requirements. But a non-Muslim consumer may purchase the same product because it provides assurance about hygiene, about its ingredients, about its sourcing as well as production standards.

This is why the halal economy is not a closed market. It is an inclusive market based on trust and quality. The halal economy can therefore become a platform for national cohesion as well as economic um development. As we all know Kenya has significant productive capacity. But we also know potential alone does not create prosperity. Potential must be organized. potential must be financed, certified, processed, marketed as well as connected um to buyers.

This is where the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development of Kenya can play a strategic role. ICDK can connect Kenyan entrepreneurs to international markets. It can connect farmers to processors, SMMES to finance, government to global investors, innovation to investors, exporters to buyers, and Kenyan products to consumers across Africa and the wider Islamic economy. The ICCD network covers OIC members, country chambers, and creates a basis for international business cooperation.

Through ICCDK, Kenya can participate more effectively in trade, investment, entrepreneurship, digital trans uh digital transformation across that wider network. Kenyan businesses need new markets. They cannot rely on traditional destinations. While competition continues to increase, the halal market gives Kenyan producers access to new consumers and business partners across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and other regions.

ICDK can support Kenyan businesses by organizing trade missions, business forums, market briefings, buyer selling seller meetings and export readiness programs. Kenya, as has been mentioned, has an important foundation in Islamic finance. Its Islamic finance industry is about two decades old. Despite being the pioneer in the region, it is yet to exploit its full potential in the ecosystem of Islamic finance. The government has been talking about a sovereign suk as way back since 2017.

Nothing has happened. It's now back on the table. Yeah. For the 2026 27 physical year, I believe ICCD can help the development structuring and also the issue of the suk. Kenya businesses need a stronger voice in international markets. They need par platforms to present to present their products. And we have seen we have the mark forum. We have the London Forum. The Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development International Network provides an opportunity for Kenyan to become for Kenya to become more visible within the global Islamic business community.

For ICCDK to succeed, it must be practical, credible, inclusive and resulted. Its strengths will come from partnerships. Its sustainability will come from transparency and its relevance will come from measurable results. Let us demonstrate that value based commerce can improve quality, protect consumers, support enterprises, create decent work, empower women and young people, promote responsible investment and strengthen international cooperation.

Kenya as we've been told and I believe so has the potential to become a trusted hub for the halal economy in East Africa. We have the population, we have the location, we have the agricultural base, we have the technology, we also have the financial institutions, we have entrepreneurs and we have also the opportunity now. What we need now is organization. What we need now is coordination. What we need now is investments.

What we need now as standards and a strong institution capable of connecting Kenya to the wider world. And I believe that institution is in Islamic chamber of commerce development Kenya. To all Kenyans, I remind that halal is not a closed opportunity. It is an inclusive platform for better standards, new markets, ethical businesses and shared prosperity. I pray to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to give success and bless the Islamic chamber of kummas and development global as well as Kenya.

Bless our entrepreneurs, institutions and partners and guide us towards inclusivity, cooperation, fairness and justice, peace, prosperity and lasting development. [applause] [gasps] I'm sure you all bear witness with me when I say he's the Assad member. Anytime he steps on the stage, holds the mic, the message is delivered. 100%. Thank you so much, Professor Shehikh Abdulif is for your remarks. Round of applause once again for him [applause] and I think we need to take it upon ourselves all of us in this room.

He said we have the people, we have the minds, we have the resources. Now the organization is also here. It's our time to shine brothers and sisters. It's our time to shine. Another example, again I may not have numbers, but again this is a theoretical for you guys to see and understand. Growing up in Nairobi, the popular places to buy cars, automobiles were Kiamu road and Halingham very popular for buying cars. The past 15 years we've seen tremendous growth in Gongroad. 90% of those who are selling cars in Gongroad they have interestfree financing model zero interest financing model. 90% of the kay in because they are run and operated by Muslims.

So again we may not have numbers to show but again by just observing and by seeing Kenya could not be any readier for the halal ecosystem and inshallah this is just but a step towards achieving that mass. Now without further ado, remember I told you the Makkah Halal Forum and the London Halal Forum are majorly organized by Halal 360. Big-timers in halal events all over the world and they're here in Africa today. They're in Kenya today.

It's upon us to take up the challenge and see what we can do. Now to tell us more about that and also to give us a word of thanks, allow me to welcome the CEO of Halal 360, my brother Muhammad. Please round of applause. [applause] Um, distinguished guests, [clears throat] esteemed speakers, partners, friends, Allow me a few moments on behalf of Halal 360 which is a subsidiary of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development to close today's proceedings.

First of all, I extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to his excellency Shik Yusf Hassan Kalavi for honoring us with his presence today. I would also like to thank his excellency ambassador Abdi Razak, the founder and president of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development Kenya for hosting us in Nairobi. To our speakers whose insight and Canandor have given us this gathering real substance to our partners at the ICCDK, the board members whose vision and collaboration made this occasion possible.

And to every guest who has joined us today, thank you. [clears throat] Kenya occupies a position of genuine consequence in the global halal economy. As the anchor economy of East Africa and the natural gateway to a region of millions of people, Kenya combines trade, infrastructure, financial depth, and geographic advantage in a manner few markets on this continent can rival. It is quite simply a market whose significance has yet to be fully matched by the attention it commands.

Alal 360 did not arrive in Nairobi by chance. We recognize the momentum building in this market and we are confident that the conversations begun today, the relationships formed at these tables and the doors this reception has opened will translate into partnerships, investments, and the enterprise of real substance. This is not an isolated occasion. It's a first step one we intend to build upon with the same seriousness and commitment that has brought us here today.

Kenya will be hearing a lot from halal 360 in the coming um times. Thank you all for joining us. I would request uh once again what Shikh Yusf mentioned. We would be honored for all of you to have us join us in London Halal Forum which is two weeks from now. Um and inshallah we would be honored to have further more events in Kenya in the coming times. Um taking this opportunity next I would like to invite his excellencies to come on stage for a group photograph.

Uh his excellency Shak Yusf ambassador Abdira Razag and all the speakers who have joined us please join us on stage for a group photograph as we conclude this reception. [applause] >> If you want anyone >> Yeah. Yes. Ahmed please come. Ahmed she is the CEO of ICCD Kenya. And it's the man who made us possible after permission of Allah to establish the company here because it was mentioned that I'm not Kenyan but he's the Kenyan.

[laughter] So without him we couldn't have done so. >> Yes. We launch he's going to be launching. >> Yeah. Please come. Yours should bring I told you to do that. I speak my smiling. >> [snorts] [snorts] [music] [singing]