Yogyakarta, August 3, 2026 Dr. Darmawan, a lecturer in the Sharia Financial Management (MKS) Program at the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business (FEBI) at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, presented strategic ideas regarding the development of Indonesia’s halal ecosystem during a meeting with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology on August 3, 2026. On this occasion, Dr. Darmawan attended alongside the Dean of FEBI at UIN Sunan Kalijaga, who is a member of the National Executive Board of the Association of Indonesian Faculties of Economics and Business (AFEBI).

During the meeting, Dr. Darmawan presented a policy brief titled “Building an Integrated Indonesian Halal Ecosystem: A National Priority Agenda Toward Becoming the Global Halal Hub by 2030,” co-authored with Prof. Dr. Misnen Ardiansyah. This policy brief is the first in AFEBI’s Policy Brief Series and examines various strategic challenges in strengthening Indonesia’s halal ecosystem.

The study identifies seven key strategic risks: governance and institutional framework; halal certification; the halal supply chain; digitization and data integration; literacy and capacity of business actors; promotion and market access; and funding and incentives. Based on a bibliometric analysis and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) of 1,181 Scopus-indexed scientific publications, the study found that the most critical risks lie in the areas of governance and institutional capacity, rather than solely in technological aspects.

Based on these findings, AFEBI proposes three strategic directions to strengthen the national halal ecosystem: institutional reform, system integration and digitization, and capacity and competitiveness building. These three directions encompass strengthening cross-sector coordination, integrating halal certification and data systems, developing a halal digital platform, enhancing the capacity of business actors particularly micro and small enterprises (MSEs) expanding access to sharia financing, and strengthening promotion and access to both domestic and global halal markets.

Dr. Darmawan emphasized that strengthening Indonesia’s halal ecosystem requires more than just increasing the number of certifications; it also demands an integrated, efficient, and sustainable system. Therefore, the consistent and collaborative implementation of policy recommendations is crucial for building a halal ecosystem capable of addressing various challenges while capitalizing on growth opportunities in the halal industry.

The participation of MKS faculty members in this forum is part of UIN Sunan Kalijaga’s academic contribution to providing research-based ideas for the development of national policy. Through collaboration among universities, the government, and various stakeholders, the strengthening of the halal ecosystem is expected to be more effectively directed toward supporting national economic growth and improving public welfare