Tanzania unveils device to detect counterfeit products
Acting Director General of the Fair Competition Commission (FCC), Khadija Ngasongwa, speaks to journalists about the introduction of a device for detecting counterfeit products.
Dar es Salaam. Experts in Tanzania’s fight against counterfeit goods have unveiled a specialised device designed to help identify fake products.
The device, made using specialised glass-based technology, can be used by both consumers and manufacturers by placing it in contact with the product being verified.
Speaking on August 2, 2026, at a forum to introduce the technology, Chairman of Nanosilikhan Africa, the company behind the device, Joshua Alan, said the innovation aims to promote truth, fairness and trust in business.
Mr Alan said the technology would also contribute to national and public health security while encouraging Tanzanians to develop and support locally produced products rather than relying on imitations of foreign brands.
Acting Director General of the Fair Competition Commission (FCC), Khadija Ngasongwa, said the laws enforced by the commission are intended to protect both consumers and businesses.
Chairman of Nanosilikhan Africa, the company that developed the counterfeit product detection device, Joshua Alan, explains the technology to journalists.
Ms Ngasongwa said manufacturers have three key responsibilities in the fight against counterfeit goods, including protecting their innovations and putting in place safeguards that make it difficult for others to reproduce their products fraudulently.
She said manufacturers must also protect their customers, noting that consumers who unknowingly purchase substandard products may lose trust in the brand, affecting the manufacturer’s ability to recover production costs and investment.
“Under the enforcement of the law, whenever a consumer reports that a product has been counterfeited in a particular market, we will visit the area and take action to prevent the product from continuing to circulate,” she said.
Ms Ngasongwa added that as globalisation and technology advance, counterfeiters are also investing in sophisticated technology to deceive consumers. In some cases, she said, even manufacturers and enforcement officers struggle to distinguish genuine products from counterfeits during inspections.
She described the new technology as an additional tool in the fight against counterfeit goods, helping protect consumers, enable manufacturers to recover their investments and prevent the Government from losing revenue.
The counterfeit product detection device used to determine whether a product is genuine or fake.
The technology will also assist FCC officers stationed at border points, ports and other areas, given that counterfeit goods are often smuggled into the country through various unofficial routes.
Director General of the Tanzania Investment and Special Economic Zones Authority (TISEZA), Gilead Teri, said the arrival of the company, which specialises in product quality protection, was a result of President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s visit to South Korea.
Mr Teri said the technology could help protect the quality of products manufactured for the market while enabling consumers to verify that what they purchase is genuine, safe, of good quality and beneficial.
He said the device can be used to verify a wide range of products, including industrial goods such as medicines, food, beverages and cement, as well as service-related products such as tickets and football team jerseys.
Mr Teri said the company also plans to establish a manufacturing plant in Tanzania, which would create employment opportunities. He said the company had already been allocated land in the industrial area of Kigamboni.
