Antigua Breaking News

Day: March 12, 2021

  • Update from CARPHA on COVID-19 vaccines and variants

    Update from CARPHA on COVID-19 vaccines and variants

    The Caribbean Public Health Agency is aware that some countries in the European Union have suspended their AstraZeneca vaccination campaign, as a result of reports of rare blood coagulation disorders in people who had received the vaccine. This was done as a precautionary measure while a full investigation is conducted into the reports. At present,…

  • Autopsy: Entertainer had COVID-19 at time of death

    Autopsy: Entertainer had COVID-19 at time of death

    Nicole Munroe-Baptiste died as a result of COVID-19-related complications, an autopsy has revealed. The Jamaica-born entertainer, who was popularly known as ‘Midget,’ died in late January. She was 50 years old. Her body was discovered under a 50-ft container in the Perry Bay area. Following her death, blood samples were sent to the Caribbean Public…

  • Netflix password-sharing crackdown underway with new test and warning

    Netflix password-sharing crackdown underway with new test and warning

    Netflix is looking to crack down on password sharing with a new test. First discovered by GammaWire, some users have encountered an inquiry when they log on asking for verification that they are the owner of the Netflix account. A warning message reads: “If you don’t live with the owner of this account, you need your own…

  • Prime Minister Browne debunks Antigua Variant

    Prime Minister Browne debunks Antigua Variant

    Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has responded to inaccurate information in media in the United Kingdom and the Caribbean, alleging that “an Antigua variant” has been discovered in the UK by Public Health England (PHE) – an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in the United Kingdom. The Prime…

  • NODS clears the air regarding list of persons benefiting from ongoing recovery projects

    NODS clears the air regarding list of persons benefiting from ongoing recovery projects

    The National Office of Disaster Services (NODS) is clearing the air regarding recent comments made about the list of persons benefiting from ongoing recovery projects in Barbuda following Hurricane Irma in 2017. NODS has been accused of removing names from a beneficiaries list and Director Philmore Mullin believes this accusation is deliberate to remove responsibility…

  • Severe allergy added to AstraZeneca vaccine side effects — EU regulator

    Severe allergy added to AstraZeneca vaccine side effects — EU regulator

    THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Severe allergies should be added to the possible side effects of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine after likely links were found to a number of cases in Britain, the EU’s drug regulator said on Friday. The development comes a day after the European Medicines Agency said it was investigating a separate issue…

  • Police issues warning about Social Media Scams

    Police issues warning about Social Media Scams

    The Police are once again warning the general public about the proliferation of scams being perpetrated via WhatsApp and other social media platforms. This warning is intended to alert persons of these fraudulent activities and prevent persons from becoming victims. In recent times, the Police has been alerted by members of the public that they…

  • Antigua logs 8 more cases of COVID-19

    Antigua logs 8 more cases of COVID-19

    The most recent report received by the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment from the Mount St. John’s Medical Centre (MSJMC) has revealed eight (8) new laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases in Antigua and Barbuda as of Wednesday 10th March 2021 at 6pm. These new cases were as a result of eighty-five (85) samples processed…

  • Chinese, Russian vaccines being considered

    Chinese, Russian vaccines being considered

    There are no easy or obvious answers for questions that government and health authorities are grappling with about whether to utilize the entire supply of COVID-19 vaccines currently, or whether to hold some in reserve for second-round inoculations – and how much. This quandary was explained Thursday morning in the weekly post-Cabinet briefing notes and…

  • KIDNEY PROBLEMS : Who should be concerned?

    KIDNEY PROBLEMS : Who should be concerned?

    By Sharon Adams The observance of World Kidney Day will be on Thursday 11th March 2021 with the theme for 2021 being “Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere: Living well With Kidney Disease.” The day was established and designed specifically to raise awareness worldwide by educating individuals of all races and gender regarding the importance of…

  • Hadeed Group donates US$100K towards purchase vaccines

    Hadeed Group donates US$100K towards purchase vaccines

    The Hadeed Group of Companies (HGC), the country’s largest private sector entity, has made a donation of one hundred thousand US dollars (two hundred and seventy thousand EC dollars) to the government to assist with the vaccine purchase programme. During a presentation ceremony on Wednesday, Prime Minister Gaston Browne highly commended the Hadeed Group for…

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]