This is Chekkit; The Nigerian Startup Providing Anti-Counterfeiting Solutions

The fight against counterfeit goods have continued to intensify as the problem keeps spreading from medicine, food and beverages to manufactured equipment. With its widespread, employing technological solutions to combat it has become very necessary. This is where an authentication startup like Chekkit comes in.

Product #anticounterfeiting #supplychain tracking #consumerfeedback #consumerdata and #promotions rewards platform through #USSD #MobileApp and #Analytics dashboard – https://t.co/UQBD4tWfat pic.twitter.com/lrz9PsOv3x

— ChekkitApp #SavingLives (@Chekkitapp) October 15, 2018

Chekkit is a blockchain powered anti-counterfeiting, real-time supply chain tracking and customer experience analytics platform. Chekkit leverages a combination of existing technologies like Mobile Authentication Scheme (MAS), artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain to solve the challenges of – counterfeits, pilferage, switching of goods and inefficient supply chain.

Formed at the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) in Accra, Ghana, Chekkit is founded by Dare Odumade (an inventor and UI/UX expert) and Jida Asare (a pharmacist and software developer). The startup provides a tamper-proof unique ID label (either as QR codes or numeric codes) to be placed on premium packaged food and beverage products. With these ID labels, all supply chain activities can be tracked and traced by manufacturers. Thus, one can be sure that due process is taken during the transfer of goods from the warehouse to the distributors and on to the final consumers. The ID labels can also be used to authenticate the products by users of its mobile app.

Beyond anti-counterfeiting and supply chain tracking, the startup also provides business owners with customer experience/feedback analytics. With its mobile app, the numeric codes on labels are authenticated via USSD at point of sale by customers. Feedback and location of customers are also collected within this session. In turn, consumers are rewarded with either instant airtime or loyalty points as incentives for their time.

It also allows for its Chekkit codes to be be used by consumers to vote for their favourite video in a promotional campaign.

The Chekkit mobile app also generates invoice for businesses. This reduces the workload and work time for businesses as all supply chain activities can be tracked and traced on a dashboard in real time. Powered by an Ethereum blockchain network, events captured and logged on to the app are encrypted to ensure data integrity.

Currently operating in Nigeria and Ghana, Chekkit services a few enterprises and companies. They include pharmaceutical companies and producers of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG). The startup aims to expand into the rest of the continent and to Asia very soon. It also plans to start charging businesses on a pay-as-you-use model or a yearly licensing fee.

Soon @Chekkitapp labels will be identified as the genuine seal telling the story of every product. Majority of pharmaceutical company's challenges are focused on supply chain issues, we can to help with that. #anticounterfeiting #ukinvestsingh #tracking #blockchain #SupplyChain

— ChekkitApp #SavingLives (@Chekkitapp) October 15, 2018

A major challenge the startup currently faces is its absence of licensing.

“With a license from the authorities in Nigeria and Ghana our technology will drastically reduce counterfeiting in Africa, enable the government and producers to have real-time market visibility, save lives of millions and adequately benefit the economy in the long term,” co-founder, Odumade said.

This has restrained many pharmaceutical producers from using its technology. And if its goal is to have its label as “a seal of quality for every great product”, this is a very important issue it would need to get resolved – very soon.