How many times have you picked a product from a shop or store shelf and doubted its authenticity? Do you spray your animals and the ticks appear to perish only to shoot back to life a few hours or days later?
In Uganda today, many consumers continue to grapple with products which are inferior and unsafe. A couple of days ago, a friend said his toothpaste tasted corrosive.
I interacted with a seasoned traveller who confessed that they developed a very bad cough after taking supposedly compromised mineral water deep in the village over 350km out of Kampala. These examples are a reminder of the monster Uganda needs to confront urgently- counterfeit products.
According to recent data, the crisis is deeply rooted and escalating by day. The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) reports that nearly 54 percent of products on the Ugandan market may be fake or substandard, with some estimates reaching 60 percent.
The Anti-Counterfeit Network (ACN) and UNBS estimate Uganda loses Shs6 trillion annually to counterfeit and substandard goods – equivalent to about three percent of the National Budget. Over half of all consumed alcohol is illicit, costing Shs3 trillion annually.
UNBS has continuously warned that consumption of substandard food products is putting pressure on the healthcare system due to associated ill-health impacts, including deaths. Similarly, a number of diseases, including non-communicable diseases, are attributable to low compliance to quality standards. Clear examples include unqualified/uncertified foods, chemicals and medicines.
Fast forward, if the reader has been following developments in the agricultural production sector, there has been a persistent cry over substandard acaricides.
A short while ago, during a farm visit in central Uganda, I interacted with a dairy farmer who complained about the unending problem of substandard acaricides.
This speaks to how limited regulation/enforcement of quality standards is affecting productivity/business costs of many dairy farmers. It goes without saying that increasingly, farmers are grappling with high costs of treatment for tick-related diseases sometimes costing an average of Shs150,000 per incident.
Other examples abound, a charcoal sack costing Shs90,000 contains a lot of charcoal dust packaged as charcoal – less for more, clearly substandard. A school boy in one Kampala school recently told me that his parents cross borders to a neighbouring country to buy genuine products before the school term opens. A respectable communications practitioner sometime ago noted that many outlets here sell a third-rated counterfeit for a certain household product- a third class counterfeit – think about that!
UNBS admits many goods are smuggled due to porous boarders. Perhaps a sobering example are the sophisticated counterfeiters. The culprits have learnt to package counterfeits in almost the same way as the original. Advanced printing and packaging fools consumers and only exercabates the problem.
Policy level challenges include a fragmented legal framework where there is no standalone anti-counterfeit law (unlike Kenya 2008, Tanzania Merchandise Marks Act). Existing laws are aren’t very deterrent.
The legally mandated body, UNBS, should enforce standards to the letter to protect the integrity and quality of goods/products to uphold public health expectations. This will enhance the quality of life of Ugandans.
To an extent, possible substandard goods should be stopped at ports of entry. If a product is shipped from 5000 miles and beyond to Uganda, does it get to Kikuubo trading area or a supermarket in Kitikutwe or Nansana without any quality validation or check? There is urgent need to strengthen Pre-Export or Pre-Shipment Verification of Conformity (PVoc)
Consumers need to interest themselves in their right to safe and quality products. Demand for these and nothing short of that. It is common to find products in shopping centres whose expiry dates have been tampered with. A keen consumer can sometimes discover this anomaly. Check Q-mark, weight, and branding.
Perhaps UNBS should explore an interactive video image enabled social media platform that enables quick reporting of suspected counterfeits on the market?
Establishing a toll-free hotline and WhatsApp reporting can also increase the pressure on counterfeiters.
Adequately consult on, debate and pass the Anti-Counterfeit Bill with deterrent penalties and empower joint regional enforcement.
It is impossible to build a self-sustaining economy described as a middle-income status on a foundation of fake goods. Genuine growth should go in tandem with bold standards enforcement and fidelity to contemporary public health safety regulations. Fake products only promote fake lives and as a country we can do better.