The Revolution Begins NOW!

There is a general assumption that revolutions must involve bloodshed, loss of lives, and destruction of property. As History has proven, even when those things happen, one problem is often solved and a new one created. Ultimately the consensus is that a price has got to be paid for change to happen.

Uganda is due a revolution – a thorough and well orchestrated revolution. However, before we begin to get ideas about what sort of revolution I am referring to, allow me to paint a picture for you. 

Every Ugandan has at some point been a victim of the dangers of counterfeit products. Right from the consumers who struggle with adverse health effects of these counterfeit products to brands that incur huge loss of revenue stemming from unfair competition, all the way to the Government that is constantly losing taxes through trade in illicit and counterfeit products – we are all victims. 

Because of this, there is need for an immediate Revolution. As a country, we need to rise up and bring an end to counterfeit products and trade in illicit products. It is killing us – quite literally. 

Statistics from Uganda Bureau of Standards regarding counterfeit products are damning. More than half of the products in the market are counterfeit – it is that bad. It is estimated that Global counterfeit trade is on a steep rise and if unchecked could very easily cause huge damage to various spheres of human existence. In 2010, only about 1% of Global Trade was in counterfeit products. Today, that figure has skyrocketed to nearly 15%, and with current trends, this is bound to only get worse. 

Bringing it back home, to Uganda, when the population deals in counterfeit products, there is truly no winner – only losers. The people lose, brands lose, and Government loses. 

In an attempt to try and curb counterfeit trade, various regulators in Uganda have thrown just about everything at the problem – all in vain. They’ve tried to arrest some of the traders but this has only proven to be a temporary fix to a permanent problem. In fact, it has made things worse because while regulators are trying to arrest people, the consumers are unaware of what is happening – they are almost unbothered. 

As such, the Anti Counterfeit Network (ACN) has been at the forefront of creating a lasting solution. The ACN was set up about a decade ago to galvanise efforts against counterfeit, substandard, and illicit trade. The Network has chosen to tackle the bull by its horns and create a lasting solution to this problem. 

First off, they have advocated for legislation to bring Uganda up to par with the region in terms of having laws that speak directly to the problem. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, they have created a platform that will bring all stake-holders together and have consumers, brands, and regulators on the same page in the fight against counterfeit products. 

The revolutionary platform is called BLEEP. 

According to the ACN, BLEEP is a modern digital application that has gone through a rigorous and intricate design process making it the perfect anti-counterfeit solution. Consumers are usually unable to report cases of counterfeits because they don’t even know who to report to. With BLEEP, they can directly report any cases of counterfeit products on their mobile phones. Anytime someone encounters a product they suspect is counterfeit, all they have to do is report it on the app.

The app offers easy and quick verification as brands can identify the products that are being reported hence create a quick action plan in collaboration with regulators and law enforcement. 

Before BLEEP, the process of investigation and enforcement was not only long and tedious but ridiculously expensive. BLEEP shortens this time, reduces the cost tremendously, and creates easy flow of information between consumers, the brands and/or manufacturers, and the regulators or law enforcement. 

To ensure that BLEEP is effective, ACN has deployed Cypheme, a world leader in AI Anti-counterfeit Service Provision. The technology used by Cypheme is backed by a strong artificial neural network and therefore cannot be duplicated, copied, or altered by anyone. The Cypheme technology is interwoven with BLEEP with a scannable but tamper-proof Bleep sticker that lets consumers easily verify the product’s authenticity using their phone. This means that even before purchasing the product, consumers can ascertain its authenticity. In addition, the technology allows for GPS tracking of the sticker to offer more authenticity. 

With the BLEEP platform, all a consumer will do is take a picture of an item and then upload it to the platform. The reports will then be ticketed and the various brands and regulators involved will follow up with response and action. 

The revolution against counterfeit products must begin with everyone embracing the BLEEP Application and using it to point out the areas in the market that have counterfeit products. The hope is that eventually when all parties are on board, Ugandans will stop suffering from strange illnesses and ailments brought on by using substandard and fake products, brands will enjoy the right market share because counterfeit products will be off the market and the Government will receive the taxes it is supposed to receive – everybody wins. 

Visit the BLEEP Website here and let the Revolution to fight counterfeit products begin now.