Antigua Breaking News

Day: August 30, 2021

  • Trinidad rattled by earthquake

    Trinidad rattled by earthquake

    An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 rattled Trinidad on Monday but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), the first seismological agency to report the tremor, said it occurred at 12.16 pm (local time) off the coast of Venezuela and was felt 90 kilometres (km)…

  • Churches call for National Day of Prayer and Fasting to combat COVID surge in Jamaica

    Churches call for National Day of Prayer and Fasting to combat COVID surge in Jamaica

    The Jamaica Umbrella Groups of Churches (JUGC) has called for a National Day of Prayer and Fasting for this Tuesday, August 31 as the nation continues to be buffeted by the third wave of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic that has driven up infection rates, hospitalisations and deaths. The theme for the day is ‘Living Wisely:…

  • Monthly established salaries paid to several financial institutions

    Monthly established salaries paid to several financial institutions

    Please be advised that MONTHLY Established salaries have been paid to the following institutions: ABDB ECAB SCOTIA CUB FCIB FDC SDACU SJCCU Please permit the institutions to process the salaries. Thank you and continue to stay safe.

  • Pigs in Paradise making a big splash in Antigua & Barbuda

    Pigs in Paradise making a big splash in Antigua & Barbuda

    Chantelle Winter is the owner of Pigs in Paradise, which is an exclusive, fun, and educational beach experience where persons can swim with piglets. She embarked on this venture after her father’s pet pigs had a liter of fourteen (14) piglets. Swimming with pigs is an activity that is very popular in the Bahamas, however,…

  • Medical oxygen shortage in Jamaica

    Medical oxygen shortage in Jamaica

    The Ministry of Health on Sunday confirmed reports of a shortage of medical oxygen across the island. In a statement, the Ministry sought to assure the nation that suppliers and the regional health authorities are working to ease the crisis. “With lives at stake given the high number of hospitalisations associated with COVID-19, the Ministry…

  • Education Officials Support COVID Vaccination for Children

    Education Officials Support COVID Vaccination for Children

    Officials within the Ministry of Education, Sports and Creative Industries are encouraging parents/guardian to inoculate their children with the COVID-19 vaccine approved for them. The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine was placed into circulation in Antigua and Barbuda on Tuesday and people 12 years and older are eligible for the shot, barring health complications, for which a…

  • Civil Registry to close for 3rd week in a row

    Civil Registry to close for 3rd week in a row

    We wish to advise the general public that the closure of the Antigua and Barbuda Civil Registry (ABCR) will be extended to include the week starting Monday 30th August 2021. The extension of the period of closure was deemed necessary as the upgrades to the software system are incomplete. The Customer Service window remains open…

  • Lovell wants ban on all unvaccinated tourists to Antigua & Barbuda

    Lovell wants ban on all unvaccinated tourists to Antigua & Barbuda

    The leader of Antigua’s main opposition, the United Progressive Party, Harold Lovell, is questioning the delay in imposing a ban on all vaccinated tourists to Antigua and Barbuda. He says the government should not have to wait for the tourism association to make that call. “If we are pushing and promoting and encouraging and reaching…

  • Antigua Plumbing and Hardware requires employees provide proof of vaccination

    Antigua Plumbing and Hardware requires employees provide proof of vaccination

  • Digicel stores reopen after COVID-19 precautions

    Digicel stores reopen after COVID-19 precautions

    Digicel would like to advise the public that on Wednesday 24 August 2021, a member of staff at our Hills Park Location tested positive for COVID-19. Out of an abundance of caution, with urgency, any potentially affected staff were tested and we immediately closed our retail stores and corporate office. During the temporary closure, we…

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]