Sproxil Nigeria Participates in ACC’s Public Service Campaign Against Fake Anti-Malarials

Some members of Sproxil’s Nigeria team had the pleasure of attending AntiCounterfeiting Collaboration (ACC)’s launch of their Public Service Campaign Against Counterfeit Anti-malarials.
The U.S. Consulate General, Lagos in conjunction with the Anti-Counterfeiting Collaboration (ACC) on July 19 launched a Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and poster campaign against Counterfeit Anti-malarial Medication. Representatives from the federal government’s enforcement agencies, state ministries, and the broader private sector Intellectual Property (IP) community were in attendance.

NEXT: Anti-Counterfeit Collaboration Turns to Government

The counterfeit issue has become so widespread in the Nigerian marketplace that non-governmental organizations and major brands alike have turned to the government for help. The Anti-Counterfeit Collaboration (ACC) was formed in 2006 and aims to mobilize brand owners, enforcement agencies, and other interested parties (Sproxil being one), in a joint effort to combat counterfeiting.
Interestingly, many non-pharma companies – such as Nokia and KFC – have been leaders in this effort, as they increasingly feel the loss in market share as well. The CEO of KFC Nigeria, who is also the chairman of the ACC, affirms the presence of fake products in the fast food industry, too. In fact, a recent consumer survey shows that somewhere between 60-80 percent of goods sold in the Nigerian market – including pharmaceuticals, luxury goods, software and computer hardware, audio and visual products, motor vehicle parts, and food and beverages – are counterfeit.

Fake products have grown so rampant that they discourage foreign investment, lead to consumer doubt and negative health effects, and lessen the financial stability and brand legitimacy of authentic manufacturers. The ACC maintains that the government needs to put policies in place for better surveillance. For more information, read this article.

 

consumer

Welcome to Sproxil

What do you do? »

Sproxil provides mobile product authentication against counterfeit products in emerging markets and the developed world using cell phones.

We provide software and systems that capture market intelligence in emerging markets using cell phones.

Our service provides automatic protection against counterfeiters.

Why does it matter? »

Brand and product pirates in emerging markets pose a significant risk to legitimate manufacturers which leads to the following;

  • Brand degradation
  • Decrease in sales
  • Consumer purchasing apprehension
  • Exposure to lawsuits.

Over $500 billion in counterfeit products are traded yearly, depriving genuine businesses of significant revenue while compounding the job of government enforcement and regulatory bodies.

How does it work? »

  • The consumers purchase a product
  • They scratch and text a simple numeric code unique to the product to a number provided to them for free.
  • The consumers instantly receive confirmation of the authenticity of the product.

SCRATCH

sproxil text code

GENUINE PRODUCT

FAKE

Brand owners can then:

  • Send personalized real-time offers at the point of purchase.
  • Lock down supply chains to prevent product diversion.
  • Access live market intelligence in cash-based societies.

It’s more secure than holograms: the booming multi-billion dollar mobile phone market has been using this method for the last 15 years without any major flaws.

Sproxil’s solution provides numerous benefits for;

Governments

Drug regulators

Law enforcers

Industry and professionals

Foreign donors

Foundations and non-profits

Telecom operators

Consumers