Eliminating counterfeit products should be everyone’s responsibility

The Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) plans to raise public awareness about consumers’ safety. Public awareness about sub-standard goods is a vital element in consumer safety and protection.The head of RBS has announced plans to establish a body to study consumer behaviour and inspect all goods to ensure consumer and environmental safety in a stepped up campaign against counterfeit products on the local market. At the same time efforts to harmonise standards within the region are underway. These efforts that take on a regional perspective are critical since most of these products originate or transit through some of the countries in the region.Consumer awareness about counterfeit products will help RBS to track and deal with traders who are driven by excessive profit, thus mind less about consumers’ safety and health. It is imperative that traders associations and the private sector federation are fully involved in this struggle to stamp out counterfeit products. Most importantly, stern measures must be taken against those trading in counterfeit products as deterrence.Genuine traders should also be on the lookout to point out those who are in the habit of trading in counterfeits. That way, they will be protected from unfavourable competition from unscrupulous traders.