The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is championing the development of a globally recognized national Halal certification ecosystem to position Uganda as a Halal hub for East Africa and Africa, while opening new markets for Ugandan enterprises and supporting the country’s ambition to grow its economy tenfold to US$500 billion.
The initiative, spearheaded by UNBS Executive Director, Eng. James N. Kasigwa, seeks to transform Halal certification from a compliance requirement into an instrument for trade, industrialization, investment and enterprise growth.
With support from the Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda to Malaysia, H.E. Dr. Betty Oyella Bigombe, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda to Sudan and Presidential Advisor on Halal Exports, H.E. Dr. Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu, UNBS invited officials from the Halal Development Corporation (HDC), a Malaysian federal Government agency under the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, to conduct a pre-assessment of Uganda’s Halal ecosystem and infrastructure.
Eng. Kasigwa took the HDC officials to senior Government and diplomatic leaders, including the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Hon. Sanjay Tanna, the State Minister for Trade, Hon. Gen. Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, the Presidential Envoy of the President of the Republic of Uganda for the Great Lakes Region, South Sudan and Ethiopia, Rt. Hon. Amama Mbabazi and the Ambassador of the Republic of Uganda to Sudan and Presidential Advisor on Halal Exports, H.E. Dr. Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu, making the case for a coordinated national approach that brings together standards, certification, accreditation, laboratory testing, industry and Government institutions.
The HDC officials also met stakeholders at the National Halal Assessment briefing, which included, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (MTIC), Uganda Free Zones and Exports Authority (UFZEPA), Uganda Halal Bureau, Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU), Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC), Halal Assurance Institute of Uganda, Uganda National Accreditation Services (UGANAS), Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) and Global Consumer Center, among others.
For UNBS, the initiative is part of its new strategic direction of growing quality enterprises by using standards as tools for trade and moving from traditional demand-driven standardization towards needs-driven standardization.
“Standards are tools for trade. Through needs-based standardization, we are looking at leveraging standards to grow value chains around the natural resources we have,” Eng. Kasigwa said.
He noted that the global Halal economy is already valued at approximately US$7.3 trillion and is projected to grow beyond US$10 trillion by 2030, making it a significant market opportunity for Uganda.
Uganda’s US$500 billion economic ambition would represent only a fraction of this enormous global market, highlighting the potential contribution of Halal-related production, certification, value addition and exports to the country’s transformation agenda.
Uganda’s strategic position is strengthened by its founding membership of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the only OIC member state in the East African Community giving it proximity to markets with significant Muslim populations.
UNBS is also a member of the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC), which brings together 57 member countries, providing Uganda with an avenue to participate in the development and harmonization of standards relevant to Islamic markets.
Through the new National Standardization Strategy to 2030, UNBS is seeking to develop standards around Uganda’s natural resources and priority value chains to support export promotion, import substitution and industrialization, in line with the priorities of Uganda’s National Development Plan, NDP IV.
Government backs UNBS’ Halal drive
The UNBS-led initiative has received support from the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Hon. Sanjay Tanna, who called for action to address the gaps identified in the assessment and establish a credible National Halal Certification System.
Hon. Tanna called for the adoption and domestication of internationally recognized Halal protocols and identified people, infrastructure, resources, branding, incentives and governance as critical to enhancing the Halal ecosystem.
The Minister of State for Trade, Hon. Gen. Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, stressed that Uganda must look beyond simply entering markets.
“Accessing a market is one thing; sustaining it is another.” Hon. Gen. Mbadi said.
He thus called for a comprehensive review of Uganda’s existing legal framework to determine what must be added to address Halal issues.
Presidential envoy calls for long-term partnership
The Presidential Envoy of the President of the Republic of Uganda for the Great Lakes Region, South Sudan and Ethiopia, Rt. Hon. Amama Mbabazi, described the initiative as timely and important to Uganda’s economic transformation.
“Halal is not only a Sharia-based religious concept; it is also a business and trade opportunity, and we cannot afford to be left out.” He said
Mbabazi said Uganda has considerable potential in agriculture and livestock but must develop the knowledge and infrastructure required to translate this potential into domestic and international economic opportunities.
The Rt. Hon. Amama Mbabazi and H.E. Dr. Rashid Ssemuddu were among the key pioneers of efforts to establish a national Halal ecosystem in Uganda, having championed these initiatives for over 15 years. They were also instrumental in facilitating the signing of the tripartite agreement on halal development involving UNBS, UMSC, IUIU and the Uganda Halal Bureau.
Building a national Halal ecosystem
Uganda currently has three Halal certification bodies: the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC), which is majorly involved in slaughter certification; the Uganda Halal Bureau; and the Halal Assurance Institute Uganda.
According to H.E. Dr. Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu, the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council laid the foundation for Halal certification in slaughter, after which UNBS established a standards-based Halal Technical Committee, UNBS/TC 411, Halal Integrity, bringing together the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, Uganda Halal Bureau, Islamic University in Uganda, UNBS, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other stakeholders.
Uganda now has 17 Halal standards covering food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, according to UNBS.
“Halal represents faith, quality, health, safety and responsibility. It is also a value proposition.” He said.
Dr. Ssemuddu said Uganda has the potential to meet the requirements of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) markets among others, and should pursue the ambition of becoming a leading Halal export hub for East and Central Africa.
He called for the integration of food and non-food sectors within Uganda’s Halal strategy and for a stronger legal and policy framework to support the sector.
Malaysia brings five decades of experience
HDC officials are bringing to Uganda lessons from Malaysia’s more than five decades of experience in developing a globally recognized Halal ecosystem.
The Chief Commercial Officer at HDC, Mohd Zamulud Awang Kechik, said Uganda already has the productive base needed to participate in the market, particularly through agriculture and livestock, but must strengthen the systems that can convert this production into internationally recognized Halal products.
From the technical assessments done in Uganda, the HDC-Malaysia team mentioned human capacity development, awareness of the public and business community, an enabling quality infrastructure and government incentives as key areas of improvement.
