The Overtly Selling of Fake LV Bags in Ghana’s Biggest Mall | What Else is Fake in These Malls?

Accra, the capital of Ghana has become a host to several malls as it struggles to secure a decent spot in the global fashion race but soon, these malls may become the home of countless fake products—because, there seems to be no standard supervision.

Beyond the fact that selling and buying products which infringe on another’s trademark is illegal, it’s deplorable to openly sell obvious fake LV bags in well patronized malls—somewhat tainting the other products being sold in the same mall by others.

Last week, I walked into Ghana’s Biggest ‘West Hills’ mall, located at Weija, admiring the world class ambience—an excitement which was cut short when I passed the MAC store to enter MV Fashion Accessories where I spotted several Fake LV purses on full display.

Apart from the apparent low quality, the price gave it away as FAKE. One of the LV purses was being sold for 68GHS, below £15.

This is a country where copyright and trademark infringements are killing several small and big scale business, yet, many of us walk past shops well positioned in what ought to be a decent shopping mall selling fake products without a blink. We even knowingly patronize them.

Globally, trademark infringements have become difficult to uproot because of the existing huge demand—which means, you can find fake ‘everything’ on the streets of New York, London, Paris and everywhere.

However, just like the drug trade, law enforcement agencies in countries which are adamant in ensuring that trademark infringements do not become a norm frequently raid streets and arrest sellers of these fakies.

Reasonably, I expected more fake products to be sold in Ghana—considering China’s heightened interest in Africa coupled with our inefficient law enforcement agencies. Therefore, when I drove through Circle and Kaneshie—I wasn’t shocked by the number of fakies being sold. Paris and several other cities have the same problem.

But for a business to secure a space within the biggest mall and openly sell fake products is far-fetched. It’s not only criminal, but also, a gross disrespect of the law.

We may not care that MV Fashion Accessories has been ‘permitted’ to freely sell Fake LV bags at West Hills Mall—and I am told their outlet at the Achimota Mall also sells several of these fakies, but we should note that, such societal endorsement of fakies has a chain effect.

Recently, several Ghanaian markets were thrown into panic when it emerged that a group of Chinese importers were selling cancer causing ‘plastic’ rubber rice. Already, we have several diabolical individuals selling fake foreign and local drugs on our markets—killing innocent Ghanaians.

And the above can be partly attributed to the seemingly societal endorsement of fake products.

When I walked out of MV Fashion Accessories at the West Hills Mall, I asked myself, so is anything at all real in this mall?