Multinational information technology company – Hewlett-Packard, commonly shortened to HP has unveiled an Anti-Counterfeiting and Fraud Programme (ACF) in Africa.
Aimed at combatting the spread of counterfeit (fake) products which impacts economic growth of legitimate businesses and consumers through lost revenue, downtime, and replacement costs, programme’s objective was also to protect HP’s customers and sales channel to ensure original products are in circulation by auditing its official partners stock against customers’ deliveries.
According to HP OPS Category Manager, East and Central Africa – Mr. Talal (Fawze) Akar, the company has supported Nigerian law enforcement authorities such as the Police and the Nigerian Customs to confiscate around 167,000 illicit items; “Another vital part of this programme is to raise awareness and involve important stakeholders. This includes educating our partners and customers on how to distinguish the original products from the fake. This crucial information enables our loyal customers with insights on how the counterfeit products can affect the quality, productivity and security of an end-user’s device or business ecosystem” noted Mr. Akar.
HP ACF (Anti-Counterfeiting and Fraud Programme) thus reinforces HP commitment to ethical business practices as she effortlessly strive to protect her brand while upholding her responsibility to the society and the environment.