In May, Botswana's Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) destroyed a large quantity of counterfeit and pirated goods, including fake mobile telephones and earbuds. Most of these items were reportedly imported from China, and were valued at several million US dollars in total. Counterfeit products have long found a market across Africa, where high demand for luxury goods often clashes with limited consumer purchasing power and, at times, weak regulatory enforcement. However, this trend may be shifting as more countries begin to strengthen their efforts against counterfeiting.
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