Antigua Breaking News

Day: September 8, 2021

  • LETTER: Ministry of Tourism, wah kinda cartoon things y’all on?

    LETTER: Ministry of Tourism, wah kinda cartoon things y’all on?

    DEAR EDITOR: Ministry of Tourism, wah kinda cartoon things yall on? You made guests and the public think, Wow! wen u mentioned hotels being bio secure. So the guest would more think to roam free n party at the hotels right? So an event happened at a hotel, so it very simple to control in…

  • PAHO urges pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID

    PAHO urges pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID

    The director of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Dr Carissa Etienne, urged countries to prioritise expectant and lactating mothers for vaccinations amid concerns that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic represents a serious risk for pregnant women in Latin America and the Caribbean. “We know that if pregnant women get sick, they have a higher risk…

  • Man gets 5 years in jail for spreading COVID

    Man gets 5 years in jail for spreading COVID

    BBC – A Vietnamese man has been sentenced to jail for five years for flouting Covid-19 rules and spreading the virus. A court found Le Van Tri guilty of “transmitting dangerous infectious diseases” to eight people, one of whom eventually died. Until recently Vietnam had been largely successful in keeping Covid out with tight restrictions.…

  • Mu COVID-19 variant lands in St Vincent

    Mu COVID-19 variant lands in St Vincent

    IWNSVG: St. Vincent and the Grenadines recorded, between July 19 and Aug. 9, five cases of the Mu variant, the fifth variant of the COVID-19 virus that the Worth Health Organization (WHO) has labelled a “variant of interest” (VOI). “On review of sequencing results for samples sent from St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the…

  • Police distribute more than 200 care packages

    Police distribute more than 200 care packages

    More than 200 care packages were distributed across several communities throughout Antigua and Barbuda by members of the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda on Wednesday. The initiative, which coincides with the 53rd anniversary of police week, saw packages of food items and toiletries being distributed among residents in Division A, B, C, and…

  • Well over 1,000 Antiguan students vaccinated with Pfizer

    Well over 1,000 Antiguan students vaccinated with Pfizer

    Health Minister Sir Molywn Joseph said  more than 1,000 students in Antigua and Barbuda have been vaccinated with Pfizer, against COVID-19. Speaking over the weekend, Sir Molwyn said the news was encouraging. Sir Molwyn has called on parents to ensure that all eligible students are vaccinated to avoid disruptions in the school system.

  • OECS launches Island Ideas Challenge

    OECS launches Island Ideas Challenge

    The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Sustainable Development Movement (SDM) 2021 is bringing big opportunities to the Caribbean. Last week, the Movement upped the ante in a very tangible way, announcing the launch of theIsland Ideas Challenge. The OECS SDM Island Ideas Challenge will give Caribbean people around the world the opportunity to secure…

  • To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? Do not allow your body to produce the next COVID-19 variant of concern

    To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? Do not allow your body to produce the next COVID-19 variant of concern

    By Eleanor Frederick, MSc. MPH It has taken more than 30 years of research for scientists to develop the technology needed to determine how to effectively deliver to our bodies, vaccines such as those being used against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.  We can remember SARS in 2003, it had a fatality rate of…

  • CDC issues Travel Advisory on Antigua

    CDC issues Travel Advisory on Antigua

    The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says unvaccinated US travellers should not visit Antigua and Barbuda unless it’s necessary. The public health agency moved the country’s COVID- 19 ranking from moderate risk at level 2 to high at level 3 in its 4-tier system. The ranking means new cases over the past…

  • 13-year-old falls ill with complications after administered Pfizer vaccine

    13-year-old falls ill with complications after administered Pfizer vaccine

    NEWS SOURCE GUYANA: A 13-year-old female student of the Parika Salem Secondary School was hospitalised after falling ill moments after she was administered a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine as part of the Government’s vaccination drive for adolescents. The child’s mother, Annette Yusuff, told News Source this morning that less than two minutes after…

  • 14 new cases of COVID-19

    14 new cases of COVID-19

    The most recent report received by the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment from the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre revealed fourteen (14) new laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases in Antigua and Barbuda as of Monday 6th September 2021 at 6pm. Seventy-seven (77) samples were processed at Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre. One (1) recovered…

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]