Zambian President Rupiah Banda has called on law enforcement agencies in the southern African country to develop a strategy that will help strengthen the fight against counterfeit products which have become a source of concern, state media reported on Saturday.

Banda said on Friday that by developing a national and regional strategy, people involved in counterfeiting of products will face the law.

The Zambian leader said in a speech read for him by Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ronnie Shikapwasha during a ceremony to award companies and individuals working hard to fight counterfeit that there is need to put in place a system of identifying genuine products.

"Protection of intellectual property is one of the top priorities on my government's development agenda. Pirates are thieves who want to reap where they did not sow. Pirates are destructive and selfish people who do not have the interest of the public at heart," Banda was quoted as saying by the state-run the Zambia Daily Mail.

According to the Zambian leader, his administration is committed to supporting and collaborating with stakeholders by ensuring that piracy and counterfeiting does not take root.

He further promised that his government will work closely with industry in the fight against counterfeits and aggressively engage trading partners to join in stamping out piracy, adding that stopping the trade of counterfeit products is not only an economic issue but a public and safety concern.

"In tackling the problem of piracy, the involvement of the private sector and our international partners is crucially important," he added.

(Source: Xinhua)