Trials and Tribulations of the AGOA Certificate

As I've mentioned several times on this blog, Mali has undergone serious turmoil over the past few months with the coup d' etat and now absence of government.  I can finally say that our products are ready to ship. Yay Yay Yay!  It's been quite a long, anxiety stricken road but the boxes are packed and the scarves, bags, and pillows are ready to make their journey across the Atlantic, into my hands, and out to our retailers and customers!

Before the parcel gets on a plane for the U.S. all of the appropriate paper work must be stamped and processed.  Last week I was informed that the stamp for the AGOA certificate (the AGOA act is a trade agreement with certain African countries allowing us to import their textile products duty free) had gone missing and the paper work had to be stamped in order to gain entry into the U.S.  Is this a joke? Just use another stamp. No can do, there is only one stamp.  [Apparently the customs offices in Bamako were basically destroyed during the coup, missing were desks, files, computers, and a stamp].  So for the past 6 days there has been a massive stamp hunt.  Yesterday I was informed that the stamp had been found. Yay!! BUT, the man who needs to stamp the documents had gone missing (apparently he decided not to return after lunch).  Can't someone else stamp the documents? Apparently not.  So, today's status is that there is a stamp, a man to use the stamp, but no register (to see what the last AGOA number was that was issued).   2 out of 3.  Getting so close!!  So for the remainder of today there will be a hunt for the register or at least to find the company who last exported goods out of Mali to get the correct number to enter into new register.  Wish us luck!