The multisectoral trade exhibition of the 9th Muslim World Biz opens its door to welcome participants from over 40 countries. The organisers expect nearly 30,000 trade and public visitors in addition to parallel business matching session taking place over the next 3 days.

KUALA LUMPUR: For the ninth time, the Muslim World Business and Investment Zone is organised with the objective of bringing business owners and professionals, together with policymakers and senior academicians, to explore possible methods of cooperation. The annual event grew exponentially since 2010 and today it consists of a multisectoral trade exhibition, nine specialised conferences & three prestigious award ceremonies.

The Muslim World Biz is organised by the OIC International Business Centre, in collaboration with the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT) in Morocco, a subsidiary organ of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Saudi Arabia. The event is ultimately supported by the Government of Malaysia and its various agencies, especially Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE).

At the exhibition halls, participants from more than 40 countries are expected to flow over the coming three days. Trade buyers, trade visitors and public visitors will explore the various products and services showcased by the exhibitors who joined the 9th Muslim World Biz with the objectives of attracting investment in their businesses, finding international distributors, connecting with more efficient suppliers and creating wider awareness of their brands.

The Guest of Honour to officiate the exhibition zone and launch OIC Arab-Asia Trade & Economic Forum was was the Honourable Datuk Wira Dr. Mohd Hatta bin Md Ramli, Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development Malaysia. In his keynote address, Y.B. Datuk Wira Dr. Mohd Hatta said that events like this warrant instrumental industrial actions for long-term partnerships between businesses from various sectors.

The opening speech this morning was delivered by the Chairman of the 9th Muslim World Biz, Mr Muhammed Raja Talib bin Dato’ Dr Raja Mohamad, welcomed all local and international participants and wished them a productive time at the event. In addition, Mr Talib, who is also the CEO of OIC International Business Centre, emphasised the commitment of his organisation to sustain the progress of the Muslim World Biz for the benefit of global communities.

The industries participating in this year’s exhibition zone include food and beverages, banking and finance, trade and investment, healthcare and lifestyle, manufacturing, fashion and cosmetics, automotive, and textile. The profile of exhibitors includes organisations from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia. However, Malaysian organisations represent around 60 per cent of the total number of exhibitors.

Besides showcasing the products and services, the exhibitors will also engage in networking and business matching sessions which are likely to conclude by signing MOUs The and partnership agreements. Most of these meetings between the exhibitors and trade visitors have been pre-arranged over the past few weeks through the online portal which the organisers created on the event’s website (www.muslimworldbiz.com).

In addition to the exhibition, two of the conferences started this morning to deliberate various issues pertaining to the growth of the Islamic economy worldwide through the active participation of individuals and organisations from across the Muslim World. The Round Table Talk (RTT) is a global leadership programme that aims to prepare today’s youth to lead economic progress in the future. The theme is “Fortifying Youth Leadership in the Face of Adversity.”

The Editor-in-Chief of OIC TODAY, Dr Laila Rani Binit Dato’ Dr Raja Mohamad Abdullah, stressed the importance of organising the RTT as part of the Muslim World Biz. “We have abundant resources and we need skillful leaders to utilise them effectively,” she said. The 2-day programme will discuss topics related to, leading across generations, using adversity as a learning experience, when and how to use various styles of leadership, the role of extraordinary leaders, Muslim youth leadership, the fundamentals of nurturing future leaders.

The other programme which also started this morning is the OIC Arab-Asia Trade & Economic Forum. The speakers, moderators and delegates are from Arab and Asian countries will discuss how organisations from both regions can integrate operations and exchange resources for mutual benefits. Every year, the forum contributes significantly to fulfilling the fundamental goal of the Muslim World Biz by providing an avenue for businesses from various industries across the Muslim world to connect and cooperate.

The forum was officiated by Y.B. Datuk Wira Dr Mohd Hatta Bin Md Ramli, Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development of Malaysia who addressed the participants, and mentioned that the integration between the resources and ambitions of Arab and Asian countries would create a greater impact that goes far beyond the boundaries of the partnering countries. He also pointed out a few examples of Arab and Asian countries that have made impressive progress in building sound infrastructure to position themselves as effective contributors to the global economy.

Representing H.E. Dr El Hassane Hzaine, Director-General of the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade, Mr Mamoudou Bucar Sall spoke about the ICDT’s efforts, as a subsidiary of the OIC, to enhance trade activities between the Islamic countries. He pointed out that the Muslim World Biz is an important event that contributes to the “OIC-2025 Programme of Action” which aims to increase intra-OIC trade to 25% of the total OIC trade. This year, the programme of the forum includes the following sessions:

1. Trade between Arab & Asian countries: Prospects, opportunities & challenges
2. The future impact of Brexit on OIC member countries
3. Discussion on the prospects of the achievements of OIC 2025 Plan of Action and the DSGs

ABOUT OIC INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CENTRE

OIC International Business Centre (OICIBC) was established in 2003 with the objective to promote and boost intra-trade among the 57 OIC member countries. Founded by the late Dato’ Dr Raja Mohamad Abdullah, the vision of the OICIBC is to create a Muslim World Trade Centre which will act as the preferred catalyst for trade development within the Muslim world.  The company works closely with international organisations operating in many of the OIC countries, and it is supported by the Malaysian government to plan and implement programmes that strengthen the role of the Malaysian government in enhancing the global Islamic economy. The OICIBC is the organiser of the annual trade event “The Muslim World Business and Investment Zone.” It is also the publisher of OIC TODAY, the renowned business and investment magazine.