The Halal Literacy Festival 2023 in Central Java, an event themed “Building Synergy and Collaboration for the Enhancement of Shariah Economic and Financial Literacy in Central Java”, is held at the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) Universitas Diponegoro (Undip). The festival, organized through collaboration between Universitas Diponegoro, Bank Indonesia (BI), Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI), and Jawa Post, aims to provide education related to Shariah economics, particularly the implementation of a halal lifestyle from the perspectives of consumers and providers, including the importance of halal certification to enhance competitiveness in the global market. The event was held at the Hall of KWU Building, FEB Undip, Semarang on Thursday, June 22nd, 2023.

The event was attended by 350 participants consisting of students and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and it was opened by Yudi Wibowo, an Advisor to the Mayor in the field of Financial and Development Economics, who represented the Mayor of Semarang, Hevearita Gunaryanti Rahayu.

Prof. Suharnomo, Dean of FEB Undip Semarang, expressed his appreciation for the Central Java Halal Literacy Festival 2023. He said that this event plays an important role in enhancing Shariah economic literacy and needs to be conducted collaboratively, involving academia, businesses, and the government. This aims to ensure that the information can be comprehensively and holistically obtained.

“Sharing Session”

Shoimatul Fitria, S.E., M.M., a lecturer in the Management Study Program at FEB Undip, was the moderator for the event. The speakers included Irfan Sukarna from the representative of Bank Indonesia, H.E.A Chuzaemi Abidin, S.H., M.M. as the Secretary of BPJH, Yodi Izharivan representing Bank Syariah Indonesia, and Akhmad Syakir Kurnia, Ph.D. as a lecturer in the Economics Study Program at FEB Undip.

In his presentation, Akhmad Syakir Kurnia, Ph.D., explained the immense potential of Indonesia in the halal industry. However, our low competitiveness remains a major issue. It is important to accelerate the improvement of Shariah economic literacy and strengthen the ecosystem of Shariah economics and halal products through mandatory halal certification programs, which will ultimately impact the implementation of a halal lifestyle in society.

The sharing session was ended by a Question & Answer session with the participants regarding regulations, Shariah finance, MSMEs, and other related topics. This event is expected to strengthening awareness of Shariah economic literacy and encouraging economic growth based on Islamic values.