| James Kon |
GHANIM International Corporation Sdn Bhd and Universiti Brunei Darussalam School of Business and Economics (UBD SBE) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a platform for collaborative research and marketing activities as well to explore relevant initiatives and options to promote the Halal industry in Brunei Darussalam.
The MoU was signed by Dr Nur Rahman, Chief Executive Officer of Ghanim International Corporation and Professor Ahmed Masood Khalid, Dean of UBD SBE at the Senate Room, Chancellor Hall of UBD.
Witnessing the auspicious occasion were Haji Sofian bin Mohammad Jani, Board Director of Ghanim International Corporation as guest of honour and Professor Dr David Koh Soo Quee, Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) of UBD.
The main objectives of this collaborative engagement are to exchange information and ideas in marketing Halal products and services, organise joint forums to understand product needs, demography, markets and manufacturers and raise awareness and enhance the perception on Halal products and services.
The agreement also serves to explore avenues of collaboration for international marketing of bruneihalalfoods products through conferences, symposiums and invited experts in the area of Halal marketing.
To kick-start this collaboration, an international forum on Halal Industry and Market will be organised in 2018, through UBD SBE’s Islamic Finance and Halal Marketing research cluster. At the forum, invited national and international experts will share their knowledge and experience on production and marketing of Halal food, Halal tourism, Islamic fashion, Halal pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, among others.
Both parties have also agreed to undertake collaborative efforts for mutual benefit through student engagement programmes and research-based activities.
Dr Nur Rahman in his remarks highlighted, “This event is the third of its kind in the span of less than a few months. We have signed on with local manufacturers, the national airline carrier, a long-established distributor and now the biggest and most prestigious education institution in the country – UBD. However, this event is not only about a growing list of accomplishments for Ghanim, but the quality of the cooperation that is being cemented today.”
He continued, “At the heart of our organisational values is our endeavours to deliver bruneihalalfoods products and product solutions that are wholesome, innovative and trustworthy to the local and international market.
“Needless to say, Ghanim has been actively involved in marketing operations and can confidently state that it is adept in networking and distributing products. But to be able to deliver on our ambitious and noble cause, we have to do countless research and exploration.”
“The Halal sector is one gracious monster as it spans a whole host of opportunities in the areas of production and marketing of food, tourism, fashion, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, among others,” Dr Nur Rahman said.
“It is estimated that 30 per cent of the global population is expected to be Muslims by 2030. Ghanim was initially set up to cater to this demand, and hence our excitement to tackle this challenge.”
To be able to succeed as an organisation, which intends to deliver itself as a global Halal brand within the remits of science and informed decisions, requires considerable effort and knowledge resources, he said.
“We have our product development and market intelligence resource departments to guide the decisions that the organisation makes in production, marketing and distribution of Brunei Halal products. We therefore see that UBD, through its subject matter experts, students and researchers, is a sight for sore eyes and a welcome addition to our cause.”
He described the MoU between Ghanim International Corporation Sdn Bhd and UBD SBE as “an acknowledgement of a unified partnership that will draw on both organisations’ strengths and capabilities vis-a-vis research-based activities, student engagement programmes and awareness raising – a journey of many more activities to come behind-the-scenes and in the foreground. Ghanim International Corporation and UBD will be bringing Brunei and Halal to a world that is more than ready to receive”.
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