Antigua Breaking News

Day: January 23, 2021

  • Barbados declares community spread of COVID-19

    Barbados declares community spread of COVID-19

    Barbados has community spread of COVID-19, Minister of Health and Wellness Lt Col Jeffrey Bostic said Saturday. He said the country is experiencing from low to moderate incidence or risk of community transmission beyond clusters, adding that there are as many as 12 cases being detected in some families because of exposure to a contact. Bostic…

  • 19-year-old is first person under 20 to die of COVID-19 in Canada’s Ontario province

    19-year-old is first person under 20 to die of COVID-19 in Canada’s Ontario province

    Family and friends of Yassin Tabeh, 19, are mourning the sudden death of the Londoner. He passed away Thursday Jan. 21 from COVID-19 becoming the first person in Ontario under the age of 20 to die from the virus. “This is an exceptionally rare and tragic event to say the least,” says Dr. Alex Summers,…

  • Barbados records 72 new cases of COVID-19

    Barbados records 72 new cases of COVID-19

    Seventy-two people in Barbados tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, January 21, out of the 1,593 tests performed by the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory, and 25 persons were released from the isolation facilities. Of the 72 new positives – 25 females and 47 males – five are from Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) – two…

  • FDA approves 1st long-acting HIV drug combo, monthly shots

    FDA approves 1st long-acting HIV drug combo, monthly shots

    US regulators have approved the first long-acting drug combo for HIV, monthly shots that can replace the daily pills now used to control infection with the AIDS virus. Thursday’s approval of the two-shot combo called Cabenuva is expected to make it easier for people to stay on track with their HIV medicines and to do…

  • Trudeau warns Canadians against travel ahead of likely new COVID rules

    Trudeau warns Canadians against travel ahead of likely new COVID rules

    Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday warned Canadians not to travel, saying further pandemic restrictions may be around the corner that would make it harder to fly home from trips abroad. The caution comes as public health officials are increasingly concerned about the spread of new COVID-19 variants, and provincial leaders are calling for…

  • Joseph relishing leading the attack

    Joseph relishing leading the attack

    DHAKA, Bangladesh – Just 13 matches into his One-Day International career, fast bowler Alzarri Joseph has found himself carrying the burden of the West Indies attack. The 24-year-old is just one of two seamers in the 15-man touring party with any ODI experience, with the other – left-armer Raymon Reifer -having played only three matches.…

  • VIDEO: 4 sharks caught in St. Kitts in less than 1 week

    VIDEO: 4 sharks caught in St. Kitts in less than 1 week

    Fishermen in St. Kitts-Nevis have caught four sharks caught in less than a week. The latest was in Dieppe Bay, St. Kitts, on Friday.

  • Nearly 2,000 COVID vaccine doses spoiled at Boston hospital

    Nearly 2,000 COVID vaccine doses spoiled at Boston hospital

    Nearly 2,000 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were spoiled at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Boston after a contractor accidentally unplugged a freezer, hospital officials announced Thursday. Staff at the Jamaica Plain VA Medical Centre discovered on Tuesday that a freezer had failed, compromising 1,900 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The plug to the…

  • Does Bitcoin have a place in every investment portfolio?

    Does Bitcoin have a place in every investment portfolio?

    Some investors have long believed everyone should allocate some of their portfolios to gold or other commodities. Gold, goes the argument, helps protect your investments from inflation and stock market drops. Now some are arguing the same thing about Bitcoin. “My personal belief is allocating to Bitcoin is a logical approach and should have a…

  • Biden’s quarantine policy: a very hard blow to tourism

    Biden’s quarantine policy: a very hard blow to tourism

    The confinement measure announced by the United States president, Joe Biden, who has established a mandatory quarantine for travelers from other countries entering the North American nation, has become a severe blow to the tourism industry. With an approach that will undoubtedly delay tourism recovery much more, Biden promised last Thursday a mobilization as “in…

  • No lighting up of ‘spliff’ in public, police warn cannabis smokers

    No lighting up of ‘spliff’ in public, police warn cannabis smokers

    Cannabis “spliff” smokers in St. Kitts and Nevis are being strongly cautioned to strictly follow the law of the land and to refrain from smoking in public places. Cromwell Henry, Superintendent of Police and Divisional Commander for District A, said that “while the possession of small amounts of cannabis has been decriminalized, its use in…

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]