Antigua Breaking News

Day: January 5, 2021

  • Barbados reports additional 37 cases of COVID-19

    Barbados reports additional 37 cases of COVID-19

    There were 37 new positive COVID-19 cases on Sunday, out of the 1,436 tests conducted by the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory. They comprised both visitors and locals, and consisted of 11 men and 26 women.  No one was released, so there are now 312 persons in isolation. Barbados has recorded 643 confirmed cases –…

  • Caribbean Airlines suspends flights to Havana, Cuba

    Caribbean Airlines suspends flights to Havana, Cuba

    Caribbean Airlines advises that its commercial service to Havana, Cuba is suspended with immediate effect until further notice. This follows correspondence from the Instituto de Aeronáutica Civil de Cuba (IACC) advising of the country’s latest protocols and restrictions re: inbound commercial flights to combat COVID-19. Persons with bookings to Cuba are asked to contact the…

  • Rape-accused police constable walks free following dismissal of case

    Rape-accused police constable walks free following dismissal of case

    SOURCE: Daily Observer – The Police Constable, who was charged with having sexual intercourse with a minor in May 2013 has returned to active duty at the police headquarters after the seven-year-old case against him was dismissed recently in the court. His Attorney, Wendel Robinson, revealed on the weekend that the officer was reinstated after…

  • Dutch loan US$3M to struggling Winair

    Dutch loan US$3M to struggling Winair

    The Dutch government is providing a US $3 million mortgage loan with a market-based interest rate to Windward Islands Airways (Winair) to safeguard the connectivity between the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Cora van Nieuwenhuizen announced the loan on Thursday, December 31, in a letter to the Second…

  • Magnitude 4.3 earthquake northeast of Codrington, Barbuda

    Magnitude 4.3 earthquake northeast of Codrington, Barbuda

    An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 occurred only 29 minutes ago 43 km northeast of Codrington, Antigua & Barbuda, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) reported. The quake hit at a shallow depth of 22 km beneath the epicenter near Codrington, Barbuda, early morning on Tuesday 5 January 2021 at 3:39 am local time. The…

  • Single lane traffic on section of Sir Sydney Walling Highway

    Single lane traffic on section of Sir Sydney Walling Highway

    The Government of Antigua and Barbuda Second Road Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project is moving eastwards with road resulting in a single Lane traffic on a section of Sir Sydney Walling Highway (SSWH). A new traffic management plan is now in please for a section of Sir Sydney Walling Highway to facilitate road rehabilitation works from the Mount…

  • 7 active cases of COVID-19 in Antigua; 2 in hospital

    7 active cases of COVID-19 in Antigua; 2 in hospital

    The most recent report received by the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment from the Mount St. John’s Medical Center (MSJMC) has revealed no new laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases in Antigua and Barbuda as of Sunday 3rd January 2021 at 6pm. All thirty-seven samples processed by MSJMC yielded negative results and are reflected in…

  • Hotel Mogul ‘Butch’ Stewart dies

    Hotel Mogul ‘Butch’ Stewart dies

    Hotelier Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart has died. Stewart was founder of Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts, and their parent company Sandals Resorts International, as well as The ATL Group and The Jamaica Observer. He died Monday in the United States at age 79. Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said he is saddened by the passing. A recipient…

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL SELECTION)

 

OECS MSME Guarantee Facility Project

Loan No.: IDA-62670, IDA-62660, IDA-62640, IBRD-88830, IDA-62650

Assignment Title: Senior Operating Officer (SOO)

Reference No. KN-ECPCGC-207852-CS-INDV

 

The Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines have received financing in the amount of US$10 million equivalent from the World Bank towards the cost of establishing a partial credit guarantee scheme, and they intend to apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, and consulting services to be procured under this project. 

The consultant will serve as the “Senior Operating Officer (SOO)” for the ECPCGC and should possess extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to Micro, small and medium-sized businesses, knowledge of the internal control processes necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk mitigation procedures. The ideal candidate should possess an Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Accounting, Banking or related field, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in lending, inclusive of MSME lending. The initial employment period will be for two years on a contractual basis. Renewal of the contract will be subject to a performance evaluation at the end of the contractual period. The assignment is expected to begin on September 30th, 2021.  The consultant will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the ECPCGC.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be viewed by following the attached link below. 

 

https://bit.ly/3iVannm

 

The Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation (ECPCGC) now invites eligible “Consultants” to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have:

  • An Undergraduate Degree from a reputable college or university, preferably in Business, Finance, Banking or related field; and
  • Minimum of 5 years’ experience in MSME lending. Applicants should also have:
  • The ability to design and implement risk management procedures 
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME lending with some direct experience lending to small and medium-sized businesses
  • Extensive knowledge of MSME banking operations
  • Knowledge of the internal controls necessary for a lending operation and the ability to design and implement risk management procedures
  • Experience developing and presenting information in public, including responding to questions in real-time
  • Experience lending to MSMEs located in the ECCU
  • Knowledge of marketing and communicating with the MSME sector
  • Ability to draft procedures to be used in a lending operation
  • Familiarity with the mechanics of a loan guarantee program
  • Exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills, and
  • Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office suite.

The attention of interested Individual Consultants is drawn to Section III, Paragraphs 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers July 2016, [revised November 2017] (“Procurement Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest. A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Approved Selection Method for Individual Consultants set out in the clause 7.34 of the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers. 

 

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0800 to 1700 hours:

Eastern Caribbean Partial Credit Guarantee Corporation

Brid Rock, Basseterre,

St. Kitts.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form by e-mail by August 11th, 2021, to [email protected]. 

 

For further information, please contact:

Carmen Gomez-Trigg                                                            Bernard Thomas

Chief Executive Officer                                                          Chief Financial Officer

Tel: 868-620-8144                                                                  Tel: 869-765-2385

Email: [email protected]                                          [email protected]