In 2008, 84 children died after being given a poisonous teething formula named My Pikin Baby Teething Mixture. The paracetamol-based syrup, used for treating sore gums, was laced with a toxic chemical that is normally used as an engine coolant. It is said the manufacturer obtained some of its ingredients from an unlicensed chemical maker. This tragic incident will propel Gogo to launch Sproxil, a social enterprise that uses mobile technology to combat counterfeiting and promote brand loyalty in emerging markets.
Ashifi Gogo is a Ghanaian entrepreneur and inventor, who is best known for his work in the field of mobile payments and fraud prevention. He was born in Ghana in 1975. He attended the primary and Junior High School attached to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology before moving to the United States, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Whitman College and a Ph.D. in Engineering from Dartmouth College.
In 2009, Gogo founded Sproxil, which has since become a leading provider of mobile-based anti-counterfeiting solutions. The company’s flagship product, Mobile Product Authentication (MPA), allows consumers to verify the authenticity of products by sending a text message or using a smartphone app. The technology also allows consumers to report fake products using a unique code. Sproxil rolled out its first trials in Nigeria with pharmaceutical giant Merck’s local distributors. The scheme focused on antimalarial and antibiotic medicines made in Nigeria or imported into the country.
Sproxil has a range of services available to its customers, which are Sproxil Ally, Sproxil Champion, Sproxil Informer, and Sproxil Defender. These services offer distinct solutions to businesses, such as counterfeit detection, product tracking and many more. However, we’ll concentrate on the Sproxil Defender, which is particularly useful to pharmaceutical companies and other businesses looking to safeguard their products and customers against counterfeit. This is achieved through the use of a simple mobile code concealed under a scratch panel that scrapes off easily.
After buying the product, the consumer will scratch off the panel and send the unique code to Sproxil. The code can be sent through SMS or by scanning the QR code with the Sproxil app. Sproxil will then verify the code and instantly provide feedback to the customer. The code can also be authenticated via phone calls or the Sproxil website.
The product verification service is free for customers. The manufacturers pay for the service charge, which helps them protect their reputation and receive feedback on counterfeit products. This ensures that customers are protected from using potentially harmful products.
Sproxil has reached a user base of 30 million consumers and has been utilized to authenticate over 3.1 billion product units in six countries. Gogo’s technology has been particularly effective in combating the prevalence of counterfeit products on the African market. The advantages of Sproxil’s services extend not only to consumers but also to manufacturers, as brands that collaborate with Sproxil gain a competitive edge in the ongoing fight against counterfeit trade.
Gogo has received numerous awards for his work, including the 2014 Innovation Prize for Africa and the 2017 Quartz Africa Innovator of the Year award. He has also been named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and a TED Fellow.
