10 October 2014, Lagos – Schneider Electric has reiterated its commitment towards fighting electrical products counterfeiting in Africa. This was made known at the maiden edition of its Media Awards on Electrical Counterfeiting in Africa which held recently in Grenoble, France.
Speaking at the special awards ceremony which also saw a Nigerian Journalist, Mr. Adedeji Ademigbuji emerge as a winner, with his piece titled “Checking the menace of fake electrical products”, Schneider Electric’s global anti-counterfeiting manager, Mrs. Tracy Garner emphasised that the organization will continue to ensure it rewards efforts aimed at exposing the dangers which counterfeit products pose to the society.
“Electrical counterfeiting has become a lucrative business in Africa which affects its social and economical wellbeing; with consumers facing exposure to serious health and safety risks associated with counterfeit electrical products, retailers bearing the legal risks associated with the sale and distribution of counterfeit products whether sold with intent or without knowledge and manufacturers suffering direct loss of sales, goodwill, irreparable damage to corporate brand/reputation, trademark dilution and many others” Tracy said.
Mrs Garner further noted that Schneider Electric has over the years ensured that genuine electrical products are readily available as one of our organization’s way of battling counterfeits. The manager emphasised that the company will continue to identify ways to educate and protect the consumers from counterfeit electrical products and therefore, Schneider Electric is extremely proud to organise the very first Media Awards on Electrical Counterfeiting in Africa
It will be recalled that earlier in the year, Schneider Electric launched a counterfeit product training course in Dubai specifically designed to help provide customs officers and other law enforcement personnel with the information needed to identify some of their branded products that are often subject to counterfeiting in the organization’s fight against counterfeiting crimes, an innovation that has since seen 31 other countries sign up for the e- learning course.
Schneider Electric also implemented a Report Program for information about companies and individuals making or supplying counterfeit Schneider Electric products as well as providing additional information on counterfeiting and steps that can be taken to better recognize counterfeit products.
The Media Awards on Electrical Counterfeiting in Africa established by Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management aims at recognizing African journalists who publish or broadcast outstanding investigative reports on issues relating to electrical counterfeiting in the African continent.