Antigua Breaking News

Day: November 7, 2021

  • Popular make-up artiste dies

    Popular make-up artiste dies

    The owner of popular make-up business Splashes Glam, Verny Vanessa Wright, reportedly died this morning. Frank Southwell shared the news on his Facebook page saying, “today is a very sad day indeed.” Southwell, who said Wright was the mother of his 18-year-old son, Nicholas, urged people to get vaccinated. “Let not her life go in…

  • PM Browne to seek supplies of Merck COVID-19 pill from the UK

    PM Browne to seek supplies of Merck COVID-19 pill from the UK

    Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister and CARICOM Chairman Gaston Browne has disclosed he will be writing to the United Kingdom in a bid to secure the antiviral pill as part of the response to COVID-19. Britain has become the first country to grant conditional authorization for the rollout of the pill, produced by Merck, to…

  • Man says his body began peeling after second dose of vaccine

    Man says his body began peeling after second dose of vaccine

    NEWS784: As vaccine uptake in St Vincent and the Grenadines continues to be slow, one man reports what he considers an adverse reaction to the jab. The man in his 40’s who prefers to stay anonymous, told News784 that his skin began peeling following his second dose of the vaccine. “I took the second dose…

  • LIAT hoping to return to Guyana but Gov’t wants ‘assurances’ of good service

    LIAT hoping to return to Guyana but Gov’t wants ‘assurances’ of good service

    Regional airline LIAT, which has been beset by financial challenges forcing the shutdown of its operations, is seeking to return to Guyana and fly Guyanese passengers once again but the government first wants certain assurances that quality service will be provided this time. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing airports to shut last year as part…

  • Full COVID-19 Vaccination Required for Entry into the United States Starting Monday

    Full COVID-19 Vaccination Required for Entry into the United States Starting Monday

    Starting on November 8, all non-U.S. citizen and non-immigrant adult air passengers will be required to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane flying to the United States. This applies to all non-U.S. citizens over age 18 with only limited exceptions. This is in addition to the…

  • Leaders of smaller islands stand up amid climate destruction and unkept promises

    Leaders of smaller islands stand up amid climate destruction and unkept promises

    By Sir Ronald Sanders (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States.   He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto.  The views expressed are entirely his own) COP26…

  • VIDEO: Car plunges into the sea after driver fell asleep

    VIDEO: Car plunges into the sea after driver fell asleep

    A motorist had a harrowing pre-dawn ordeal on Thursday morning, when his Chevy Trax plunged into the sea. Gerard Brookes told state media he fell asleep as he travelled on the Perry Bay Main Road after leaving work at Royalton Resort at 2 am. He managed to swim to safety from the submerged vehicle, having…

  • 4 new cases of COVID-19

    4 new cases of COVID-19

    The most recent report received by the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment revealed four (4) new laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases in Antigua and Barbuda as of Friday 5th November 2021 at 6pm. One hundred and eighty (180) samples were processed. Seven (7) recovered cases were recorded increasing the total to three thousand eight…

  • France tightens bird flu measures as virus spreads in Europe

    France tightens bird flu measures as virus spreads in Europe

    (Reuters) – The French government has put the entire country on high alert for bird flu as the virus spreads across Europe, the agriculture ministry said on Friday. The move will extend a requirement to keep poultry flocks indoors, a measure already implemented in certain areas since September. “Since the beginning of August, 130 bird…

  • 9 new cases of COVID-19

    9 new cases of COVID-19

    The most recent report received by the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment revealed nine (9) new laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases in Antigua and Barbuda as of Thursday 4th November 2021 at 6pm. One hundred and eight (108) samples were processed. Four (4) recovered cases were recorded, increasing the total to three thousand eight…

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]