Proliferation of Fake Products Alarming | Unilever

Consumer Foods Manufacturer, UNILEVER Ghana has added its voice to concerns by manufacturing companies over the importation of fake and cheap products into the Ghanaian market. Some of the stakeholders including those in the textile industry and aluminum industry have complained bitterly about unfair competition posed by these smuggled products to locally manufactured ones. Some of the industries have warned of imminent shut down in their operations if the situation is not checked as soon as possible. The Head of Brand building for Unilever, Akofa Ata in an interview with Citi Business said their industry is no exception to this menace and is therefore calling on the relevant stake holders to join forces to curb the phenomenon. He said, “Counterfeit has been part and parcel of the challenges we continue to face and not only does it take away revenue from the state but it also has an impact on our brands and the equities that our brands have. We make huge investments, the customer is expecting our promise, a counterfeit product comes in and breaks that promise because the consumer doesn’t know that product is not coming from Unilever so to that extent, we are very worried, we are not excited about counterfeiting activities. We do our best to collaborate with all the relevant regulatory organizations, CEPS, Food and Drugs Board, Police service and all those who are partaking to curb this activity to the barest minimum.”