Gov't asked to step up fight against counterfeit products

KAMPALA - The government has been asked to intensify the implementation of legal frameworks against the sale of counterfeits and substandard products in Uganda, to save sh6 trillion lost annually due to fake products on the Ugandan market.

According to the Anti Counterfeit Network (ACN), 54% of the goods on the market are either counterfeit or substandard.

The counterfeit network noted that the ongoing impact of COVID on the economy has caused a scarcity of legitimate products and proliferation of fake products on the market will increase as companies try to cut costs for survival and competitiveness.

"We need to increase awareness about the existence of the laws against the sale of counterfeits. The sale of counterfeits on the market has been promoted by brand owners who take no action against those who fake their products," Fred Muwema, the director legal and corporate services ACN, said.

He made the remarks on Thursday during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with QG Group, for a campaign dubbed don't be fake, Buy /sell Genuine.

The two anti-counterfeits organizations, formed a partnership league of the Genuine (LOG) to champion the awakening of the consumer and decision-makers to the concealed dangers of counterfeits and assist stakeholders to guard against the devastating economic and social effects of fake products.

"More than 50% of the products we consume are fake, for example, the World Health Organization (WHO) in its recent report, noted that 60% of the Anti-malarial drugs in sub-Saharan Africa are counterfeit. Every 30 minutes, four to five children die because they are treated with anti-malarial drugs that are fake," Muwema said.

The anti-counterfeit organizations noted that the new trend of selling goods via the various social media platforms had also worsened the problem of fake products on the market.

They noted that counterfeit business not only poses a threat to intellectual property, jeopardize innovation and undermines legitimate business, but also causes a high risk to consumer health and safety, which destroys genuine business.

David Galukande, the managing director QG, said the League of genuine partnership with ACN, will provide a platform to ensure that the public understands the devastating social, health and economic impact of counterfeiting.

"We believe in the ANC-QG league of Genuine partnership and advocating Anti-counterfeiting will benefit the country, attract international investment and interest, encourage local entrepreneurship to be original and build confidence in the value of brands and local markets," Galukande said.

Witnessing the MoU signing ceremony, Moses Watasa, the commissioner information dissemination, in the ministry of ICT said with increased sensitization on the dangers of consuming fake products, Uganda can deal with counterfeits.

He noted that partnerships like league of genuine helps to support efforts by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) in the fight against sell of fake products.

"We don't want Uganda to be turned into a dumping ground for fake products. We have a problem of counterfeit beverages, cosmetics some of which have damaged the skins of our ladies. As government, we need partnerships like these to be able to deal with counterfeits in the country," Watasa said.

The organizations noted that counterfeit goods not only affect consumers, but also manufacturers, traders and the government.

They noted that because counterfeits are made with cheaper and often dangerous raw materials, the products reach the market at a much lower price than the genuine products which, they said undermines and compromises fair market competition.