Ugandans tasked to try and understand counterfeit goods

By  Bruno Kiyimba

Ugandans have been urged to take time and know if the products they are purchasing are genuine or counterfeits.

The call was made by the director of strategy at the Anti-Counterfeit Network (ACN) Uganda, Mr Kaweesa Richard, during a on counterfeits in Kampala on Thursday.

According to Mr Kaweesa, there are very many products that come to the market but people just ‘consume them recklessly’.

“There was a time ABIBAS flooded the Ugandan market. Many people bought these products believing they had bought ADIDAS,” Kaweesa noted before urging  everyone to always know what commodities are fake and those that are substandard.

At the same event, Damali Tebugwisa Ntende, who represented the ACN executive director Fred Mwema, said there is a big difference between counterfeit and substandard goods.

“Counterfeit means imitation of a brand for instance ABIBAS for ADIDAS,” she said, adding that the goods that do not meet the required standards of a given country are the ones that are considered to be substandard.

Robert Sebunnya, the Tourism, Trade and Industry Parliamentary Committee chairperson promised that members of Parliament have not taken full responsibility in making the public aware of fake commodities.

“Most of our members of Parliament are either actively doing business or consumers of certain goods. But they have never realized that at times they take fake products,” Sebunnya, who represents Nansana Municipality in Parliament, said..

It is on this note that Sebunnya urged all parliamentarians to join the trend in spreading the gospel against counterfeit.

The Anti-Counterfeit  Network of Uganda is one organisation that has come out to fight the verge of fake products through making dialogues as well as shows on TVs to open the eyes of the public about the fake products.