ACN @ 10 - A Decade of Action

Year ACN Roadmap
2016

The Foundation

• Milestone: Official Launch of the Anti-Counterfeit Network (ACN) Africa.
• Significance: ACN was born with an aim to bridge the intervention gaps between those who affect and are affected by counterfeits, emerging the first dedicated civil society entity in the region focused solely on combating illicit trade.
2017

Withdrawal of the Anti-Counterfeit Goods Bill (ACGB) 2015

• Milestone: Successful advocacy that led to the withdrawal of the ACGB 2015.
• Significance: We demonstrated its influence by lobbying against flawed legislation, ensuring that laws passed would be practical, effective, and not hinder genuine trade. This set the stage for better policy formulation. Our drive was that ‘bad laws are worse than no laws’.
2018

Uniting Leadership

• Milestone: Hosting the 1st CEO Structured Dialogue on Counterfeits.
• Significance: We convened top private sector CEOs and government leaders to the same table, transforming a fragmented sector into adopting a collabotative approach and signed the “Anti-Counterfeit Resolutions 2018,” creating a unified front and moving the conversation from complaints to collective action against counterfetis.
2019

Eye on the groud

• Milestone: Launch of the Fakes Desk and League of the Genuine.
• Significance: This marked ACN’s move into direct consumer engagement, providing a dedicated reporting platform for the public and private sector to report counterfeit products and triggering investigations.
2020

The Global Stage

• Milestone: Global Advocacy Platform.
• Significance: Amidst a global pandemic, ACN elevated the counterfeit conversation to the international stage, highlighting the economic and health risks of fakes to European and African trade partners eg Europe-Uganda Business Forum, African Water Congress etc.
Year ACN Roadmap
2021 – 2022

Defining Justice

• Event: Legal Victories for Global Brands.
• Significance: We moved from advocacy to enforcement, securing major court victories for international giants (like Philips, Colgate, and BIC) and convictions. These wins set crucial legal precedents for Intellectual Property rights in East Africa – petitioned the ICC
2023

Regional Expansion

• Milestone: Signing the MoU with the Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) Kenya.
• Significance: We ceased to be just a Ugandan entity and became a regional power player. The historic handshake with the ACA Kenya was the first cross-border enforcement alliance of its kind, operationalizing a united East African front against counterfeits. This formal partnership acknowledged that illicit trade knows no borders.
2024

Shaping National Policy

• Milestone: Technical Leadership on the Anti-Counterfeit Goods and Services Bill.
• Significance: Leveraging the experience from 2017, ACN returned to Parliament not just to oppose, but to propose. We were the trusted technical advisors drafting a robust, modern law that closes loopholes in counterfeit prosecution. This shift marked ACN’s maturity into the primary authority on legislative solutions for illicit trade.
2025

The Digital Revolution

• Milestone: The Birth of the Bleep Ecosystem & BleST Technology.
• Significance: The transformation of ACN into a tech-forward organization. By launching the Bleep ecosystem, we shifted the fight from physical raids to digital prevention and consumer empowerment.