President of ICIFE, Prof. Dr. Khaliq Ahmad and ICIFE’s Executive Director, Dr. Hj. Zulkifli Baharom, were special guests at the above-mentioned Conference held at the Putra World Trade Centre, Kuala Lumpur.
Both presented papers at the Trade and Economic Forum held on the sidelines of the three-day Conference & Exhibition.
Prof. Dr. Khaliq highlighted the fact that there are 1.6 billion Muslims residing all over the world and this present a significant market for goods and services, especially halal products and Islamic Finance.
However, he raised the important question of whether this segment of the global population has the much needed spending power. Dr. Khaliq enlightened participants on the need for Muslim governments to draw up a new and more robust methods and strategies to effectively manage their natural resources more equitably.
Dr. Hj. Zulkifli highlighted ICIFE’s role in enhancing Islamic Banking and Finance on a global basis. Presently, he said, Muslim minority countries like the Philippines and Thailand have shown interest. Prince of Songkhla University in southern Thailand and Mindanao State University in Marawi city, Mindanao, have signed up to become institutional members of ICIFE.
