Tanzania's competition regulator has warned that counterfeiters are adopting increasingly sophisticated technology to make fake goods harder to distinguish from genuine products, threatening manufacturers, consumers and government revenue.
Khadija Ngasongwa, Acting Director General of the Fair Competition Commission (FCC), said some manufacturers were not using adequate security features to protect their products, creating opportunities for counterfeiters to exploit advances in technology.
“Counterfeiters are reaching a point where they invest in the same technology to deceive consumers more effectively,” Ngasongwa said.
She said the problem had become so sophisticated that even some retailers struggled to distinguish genuine products from counterfeits.
The FCC is working with technology providers, including Nano Silicon, on product verification solutions that could allow consumers to establish whether goods are genuine, Ngasongwa said.
Counterfeiting affects a wide range of products, from industrial goods such as cement to medicines, where consumers need confidence that products are genuine and meet expected standards.
The technology could also be used to verify services and entertainment products, including sports tickets and branded merchandise, she said.
Ngasongwa cited football matches between Tanzania's biggest clubs, Simba and Yanga, where fans buying tickets at stadium entrances can face uncertainty over whether the tickets are genuine.
Beyond consumer protection, she said counterfeit trade was hurting legitimate manufacturers by undermining their investments and reducing the government's tax revenues.
“The government loses significant revenue from these businesses that are not legal,” she said.
Ngasongwa also called for greater emphasis on developing locally made products and technologies rather than copying foreign goods.
She said stronger product verification systems could help build confidence in Tanzanian goods domestically and support efforts to expand exports to neighbouring countries.
Tanzania has been seeking to expand domestic manufacturing and trade as part of its broader industrialisation strategy. Greater consumer confidence in locally produced goods could help manufacturers compete in domestic and regional markets, she said.