Chekkit – a Nigerian startup that focuses on authentication of products and tracking them, had decided to explore the market value of Afghanistan just recently. This was after they landed a partnership with the Afghanistan Ministry of Health to help fight the surge of counterfeit medicine products making their way through the country.
Speaking with Techcabal Africa when giving their reasons for going into Afghanistan, Tosin Adelowo Chekkit CMO disclosed that time had come for a solution to be found to the counterfeit market plaguing the cities and streets of the country. As Adelowo puts it “Chekkit has the perfect solution to the problem”. That, along other brokering solutions, is a major determinant that informed the decision for the expansion.
In collaboration with Fantom Foundation; their blockchain partner and a major broker of the deal, Chekkit finally sealed their deal, and the Afghan Ministry of Health made an official announcement on May 2nd 2021, that the company will start servicing the country nationally from the said date.
Later, as events unfolded, the partnership did not survive a lifespan of more than 3 months, the company had to leave the country. Not that they decided to leave; as their partners were forced to exit the country, the company did not have much of a choice.
“We have discontinued our communication/operation in the region, as our partners have also exited the region due to civil unrest… Our heart is with the people of Afghanistan and we pray for strength for them to withstand and surpass the current issues”, says Adelowo.
This company’s exit is just one of the many things that will contribute to the country’s retreat into the market of fake products; courtesy of the unrest. Dissecting the analysis of the effect of the unrest, Times Now says: “the Afghan economy has been reliant on international aid with a limited private sector. Nearly 44% of its workforce is in Agriculture.” With the Taliban take-over in the country, some analysts predict that international trade will come to a halt. Already, that is happening as apart from Chekkit, other companies are withdrawing their presence from the country.
