To save economy, Tunisia destroys about 100,000 counterfeit products
Authorities in Tunisia have destroyed almost 100,000 different counterfeit products that were to be sold in the country’s black market.
They destroyed cosmetic, electronic, and stationery products at the Convention Center in Tunis, Agence Tunis Afrique Press (TAP) reported.
The products had been seized by local police and economic control services in the first three months of this year. They were worth several million dollars, according to activists who took part in the event.
The move was the first of its kind as authorities in the country have been scrutinized by the public for turning a blind eye on illegal activities that are directly impacting local businesses.
It also took place in front of the media for the first time, on the the first anniversary of the international conference on fighting counterfeiting that was held in Tunis.
The counterfeit market in Tunisia is huge. According to Interpol figures, the country seized more than $170 million worth of fake products in 2013.
Over the past years, there have been reports of a rapid growth in global trade in counterfeit goods, especially in Africa. The continent is increasingly being targeted as a market for counterfeit merchandise with traffickers using it as a transit route for fake goods.
The black market for fake products poses a direct threat to the economies of not only Africa but Europe and America, a 2014 report said.
Tunisia has been grappling with financial issues for years. The problems were the main trigger for a revolution which ousted former Tunisian ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011 and led to many other uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East.
Ben Ali now lives in Saudi Arabia which took him in and with his family, angering the Tunisians.
Last year, a damning World Bank report accused Ben Ali of stealing billions of dollars throughout his decades in power.
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