JETRO, the Japan External Trade Organisation, and SON, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, are working together in a renewed bid to tackle fake products.
Punch reports that the two bodies will be joined in their mission by various other groups, including the Nigerian Customs Service and the Nigerian Copyright Commission.
The collaboration between the nations was heralded with the Nigeria-Japan Anti-Counterfeiting Seminar, held in the Nigerian capital of Lagos last week, organised by SON and JETRO Nigeria with the support of the Embassy of Japan.
Shigeyo Nishizawa, JETRO’s Managing Director and Trade Commissioner began the event by championing mutual understanding of IP protections, and the strengthening of combined anti-counterfeiting efforts between the two countries.
The seminar was also attended by seven Japanese companies with operations in the African country, who showcased their original products, and some fake equivalents, in order to highlight the differences to attendees, including the Government’s standard enforcement agencies.
Amongst the companies exhibiting were Brother International (Gulf FZE), Canon Europe, Sharp Middle East FZE, Panasonic Marketing Services Nigeria, and Japan Tobacco International.
According to Nishizawa, the total number of Japanese companies in Nigeria is still on the increase, and he asserted that with a total of 40 firms now operating in the country, the need to help customers identify what is genuine and what is counterfeit has become much more pressing.
