EVALUATING THE IMPACT OF THE NIGERIAN NATIONAL HALAL ECONOMY STRATEGY: PATHWAYS TO COMPETITIVENESS, EXPORT DIVERSIFICATIONAND INCLUSIVE GROWTH

The global Halal economy has evolved into one of the world’s most dynamic and fast-growing economic systems, projected to reach US$3.4 trillion by 2028. Despite possessing one of the world’s largest populations, substantial livestock assets, and expanding Islamic finance architecture, Nigeria captures only 0.14$87.7 billion, yet exports stood at merely US$380 million, highlighting a major competitiveness gap. In response, the Government of Nigeria developed the Nigerian National Halal Economy Strategy, in partnership with Halal Products Development Company of Saudi Arabia (HPDC) (subsidiary of the Saudi Public Investment Fund), Dar Al Halal Group Nigeria, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and BADEA. The Strategy aims to transform Nigeria into Africa’s leading halal production and export hub through a nationally harmonized certification system, infrastructure expansion, Islamic-finance-driven industrialization, and regulatory alignment with SMIIC global Halal standards.This paper provides the first academic evaluation of the Strategy, offering a holistic analysis of its design, theoretical underpinnings, potential economic impact, and implications for competitiveness, FDI attraction, and inclusive growth. Using institutional theory, global value chain (GVC) theory, the resource-based view (RBV), and policy coherence frameworks, the study interrogates the Strategy’s capacity to improve Nigeria’s export readiness, quality assurance capabilities, and integration into OIC markets. It also draws lessons from other Halal-leading countries—Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, Brazil, and Thailand. The paper adopts a qualitative-dominant mixed method, using document analysis, stakeholder interviews, comparative country benchmarking, and thematic evaluation of governance and implementation structures. Findings indicate that Nigeria’s Halal Strategy—if effectively implemented—could catalyze over US$12.6 billion in additional Halal-economy value by 2030, strengthen food security, boost non-oil exports, and attract Islamic FDI into agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, logistics, and tourism. The study concludes with policy recommendations for achieving global competitiveness and positioning Nigeria as a continental Halal hub.