COVER STORY

@ Halal | May-June. 2025

• Malaysia is reinforcing its global halal leadership through coordinated efforts and a unified national strategy.

• The country is evolving from a halal exporter to a global knowledge partner through innovation and training.

• As ASEAN Chair, Malaysia is working to harmonise regional halal standards and boost global competitiveness.

BY FARISHA RAHMAN

Datin Paduka Hakimah Mohd Yusoff, the Coordinator of Halal Affairs in the Prime Minister’ s Department, is spearheading efforts to elevate Malaysia’ s status as the world’ s most integrated and innovative halal hub.

NATIONAL HALAL COORDINATION

“ Our aim is clear,” shared Hakimah.“ We must ensure seamless coordination between all government agencies involved in halal development.”

This mission involves coordinating the efforts of key organisations such as the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia( JAKIM), Halal Development Corporation( HDC), and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation( MATRADE) within the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry( MITI), along with other relevant ministries including the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, and Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living.

Recognising the overlap in respon-

sibilities among these agencies, her role focuses on harmonising the domestic halal ecosystem to prevent duplication. This approach enhances Malaysia’ s global standing while unifying national halal strategies under a single framework.

One of the most transformative ideas being promoted is the creation of a one-stop centre for Halal Malaysia. This initiative aims to provide clarity, efficiency, and responsiveness in meeting both domestic and international halal requirements.

DIGITAL HALAL FUTURE

Malaysia is moving beyond its traditional role as a halal certifier or exporter. Hakimah envisions a shift towards high-value halal sectors.

These include halal biotechnology, digital certification systems, blockchain-enabled supply chain transparency, and halal-focused research and development. Malaysia is also working to become a centre of expertise in halal affairs.

The broader strategy involves upskilling halal professionals, enhancing infrastructure, and implementing digital innovations throughout the ecosystem. The government encourages greater industry-wide integration and investment in areas with substantial global potential.

GLOBAL HALAL EXPERTISE

Looking ahead, Malaysia aims to be recognised not only for its halal products but also for its proficiency in halal production.

“ Our long-term vision is to become the global halal knowledge partner. We want to be the consultant that countries turn to when building their halal systems,” she explained.

This vision is already taking shape through technical collaborations with both Muslim-majority and non-Muslim nations. Malaysia is sharing its expertise in certification, supply chain integrity, and Islamic finance, which are becoming increasingly significant across borders.

Malaysia’ s capacity-building programmes, including those under the Malaysia Technical Cooperation Programme( MTCP), HDC’ s Halal Training Centre, and JAKIM’ s international seminars, have already trained tens of thousands of participants from over 140 countries. These efforts bolster Malaysia’ s credibility and global role.

GLOBAL BENCHMARKING

While Malaysia maintains a strong leadership position, the global halal

AS Malaysia assumes the ASEAN Chair in 2025, strengthening collaboration within the halal sector across the region remains a key priority. One notable initiative is the proposed ASEAN Halal Council.

This body aims to streamline halal trade by standardising standards and certification procedures among member countries.

“ The council builds on existing regional frameworks like the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth triangle( IMT-GT) and the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area( BIMP-EAGA),” explained Datin Paduka Hakimah Mohd Yusoff, the Coordinator of Halal Affairs in the Prime Minister’ s Department.

It will also serve as a platform for knowledge sharing and halal capability enhancement among ASEAN States.

Malaysia continues to promote the development of halal certification and innovation throughout the region through initiatives such as SME Venture ASEAN 2025 and training programmes provided by JAKIM and HDC.

These efforts help smaller ASEAN economies improve their halal capacity while gaining from Malaysia’ s leadership and expertise.

SHARED HALAL VISION

As ASEAN Chair, Malaysia’ s three key priorities for regional halal development include:

• Initiating mutual recognition of