By Eddah Waithaka
A new digital platform is positioning itself to organize and dominate Africa’s fragmented but rapidly growing Halal economy.
The Halal Hub App soft-launched this week, aiming to connect millions of Muslims and businesses to verified products, services, and opportunities.
The pioneering app offers a one-stop digital destination for everything from Halal dining and travel to business listings, job postings, and religious guidance.
It arrives as global demand for Halal-certified products and services surges, representing a market worth trillions of dollars.
Founder Faisal Kassim unveiled the platform to an audience of government officials, diplomats, investors, and business leaders.
He framed the app as a critical tool to unite a disconnected ecosystem.“The Halal ecosystem in Africa is fragmented,” Kassim stated.
“We have a lot of players in the industry, but they’re all over the place. Halal Hub Africa is coming to organize this economy so that we tap into the global Halal industry, which currently circulates about three to four trillion US dollars.”
The app’s launch highlights a significant economic opportunity for the continent. International partners echoed this sentiment. Rendra Kusumawardana, First Secretary for Economic Affairs at the Indonesian Embassy in Nairobi, shared insights from the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.
“Indonesia’s halal economy is worth more than $318 billion and is projected to surpass $922 billion by 2023,” Kusumawardana revealed.
He outlined his country’s successful, government-institutionalized approach to Halal certification, which has certified over 3.9 million products, and invited Kenyan businesses to Indonesia’s upcoming Sharia Economic Festival.
Beyond commerce, the Halal Hub App directly targets Kenya’s youth unemployment crisis by featuring a dedicated section connecting job seekers with Halal-certified employers.
“There is a mismatch in the industry,” Kassim explained. “We are creating a platform where job seekers and job creators can interact.”
He also teased the upcoming November launch of a physical “Halal Club” to foster networking and investment.The ambitious vision extends beyond Kenya’s borders.
Kassim announced the inaugural Kenya Halal Awards for November, with plans to expand to East African and eventually continent-wide awards hosted in Nairobi.
“Our aim is to be the gateway of the Halal industry in Africa,” Kassim declared. “We will start organizing locally, then move regionally, and then move continental. Africa is not the future. Africa is now.”
