In Ghana, counterfeit medicine isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a matter of life and death. Bright Simons saw it firsthand, watching communities struggle with fake pharmaceuticals that claimed to cure but often caused harm. For him, the problem was personal and urgent. It wasn’t enough to study it, debate it, or hope the authorities would act. Something had to be done.
Simons, trained as a social entrepreneur with a keen eye for technology, began to think differently. What if the same mobile technology connecting millions of Africans could be used to verify the authenticity of products? What if consumers could hold the power to know instantly whether what they were buying was genuine? The idea was deceptively simple: give people the tools to fight fraud, one product at a time.
That idea became mPedigree, a platform that allows consumers to verify medicines, agricultural inputs, and other critical goods using just a mobile phone. No internet? No problem. A simple text message or code scan could confirm authenticity in seconds. It was a solution designed for the realities of African markets where connectivity is patchy, cash is king, and trust is fragile.
From the beginning, Simons approached the challenge with discipline. He didn’t rely on flashy marketing or headline-grabbing launches. Instead, he focused on building partnerships with regulators, manufacturers, and telecoms. Every collaboration expanded the network of trusted products, every pilot proved the technology worked in the field, and every satisfied consumer became an advocate. Growth was steady, methodical, and measurable.
Over time, mPedigree became more than a verification system. It became a symbol of consumer empowerment, a demonstration that technology could solve social problems at scale. Simons’ work extended beyond medicine to food, cosmetics, and even school materials, proving that the principle was universal: information is power, and technology can put that power directly in the hands of the people.
Today, mPedigree serves millions of Africans, crossing borders and industries. Bright Simons has not only created a company but has set a standard for social innovation: solutions that are locally relevant, technologically clever, and deeply rooted in the everyday lives of ordinary people.
