Antigua Breaking News

Day: January 24, 2022

  • 92 new cases of COVID-19 in Antigua

    92 new cases of COVID-19 in Antigua

    The most recent report received by the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment revealed ninety-two (92) new laboratory confirmed COVID-19 cases in Antigua and Barbuda as of Wednesday 19th January, 2022 at 6pm. Two hundred and sixty-eight (268) samples were processed. Forty-five (45) recovered cases were recorded. Consequently, the total number of persons with…

  • St Vincent PM questions sentencing of man found guilty of sexually assaulting four-year-old

    St Vincent PM questions sentencing of man found guilty of sexually assaulting four-year-old

    St Vincent’s Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves says the recent case of a man forcing a four year-old to perform a sexual act on him is one in which the court should have departed from the guidelines on sentencing sex offenders. The man also filmed the child performing the sex act on at least one…

  • Two people killed as two earthquakes rock Haiti

    Two people killed as two earthquakes rock Haiti

    Two earthquakes with magnitudes of more than 5.3 rocked sections of Haiti on Monday killing two people and injuring several others, less than 24 hours after the country was rattled by other tremors. The authorities said that the quakes are aftershocks of the earthquake on August 14 last year that killed more than 2 000…

  • Jamaica shortens COVID-19 isolation period for U.S. travellers in keeping with new CDC guidelines

    Jamaica shortens COVID-19 isolation period for U.S. travellers in keeping with new CDC guidelines

    Based on the new recommendations announced recently by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. travellers who test positive for COVID-19 in Jamaica, can now exit isolation after five days provided that the person is asymptomatic or has had mild symptoms that are resolving (as per physician’s evaluation). “We are very pleased…

  • St. Kitts & Nevis records 3 more COVID-19-related deaths

    St. Kitts & Nevis records 3 more COVID-19-related deaths

    After two months without a COVID-19 related death, St. Kitts and Nevis has recorded three more bringing the total number to 31 since the pandemic reached the borders of the Federation, with the first two confirmed cases on March 24, 2020. On November 17, 2021, the country had amassed a total of 28 deaths, largely…

  • Health Ministry provides update on COVID-19 vaccine booster intervals

    Health Ministry provides update on COVID-19 vaccine booster intervals

    The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment wishes to announce changes in the time interval for Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine boosters. These changes have become necessary since documented data and published studies have shown that the Omicron variant requires additional vaccine protection. Persons will recall that the Omicron variant has been identified in…

  • World can end COVID emergency this year — WHO chief

    World can end COVID emergency this year — WHO chief

    The head of the World Health Organization said on Monday that the planet can end the COVID-19 emergency this year, although the virus last week killed someone every 12 seconds. “We can end COVID-19 as a global health emergency and we can do it this year,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the UN health agency’s executive…

  • LIAT to go cashless in St. Maarten

    LIAT to go cashless in St. Maarten

    LIAT will implement cashless transactions at its counters at Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten. The cashless transactions will assist in a smoother operation for passengers and staff and will be effective from January 27th, 2022. In wake of the COVID -19 pandemic and as the airline rebuilds its network, LIAT has been reviewing its…

  • Swetes youth, Jahmali Smith, drowns at Pigeon Point Beach

    Swetes youth, Jahmali Smith, drowns at Pigeon Point Beach

    Police have confirmed that the lifeless body of a Swetes youth was found last night at Pigeon Point Beach after an apparent drowning. A search for the man was mounted after he was reported missing by a family member at about 8 pm last night. According to a source close to the matter, Smith went…

  • Chris Gayle left out of IPL auction

    Chris Gayle left out of IPL auction

    West Indies big-hitter Chris Gayle is among the stars missing from the upcoming auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL). More than 1,200 cricketers from India and 18 countries across the world have registered to go under the hammer in Bangalore on February 12 and 13 for the 15th edition of the world’s most lucrative…

  • PM Browne: BGI Tourism minister’s stance on LIAT severance disingenuous

    PM Browne: BGI Tourism minister’s stance on LIAT severance disingenuous

    POINTEXPRESS: Barbados’ tourism minister, Lisa Cummins, caused a major regional stir last week when she laid blame at the feet of the Gaston Browne administration for LIAT’s former employees being unable to claim severance. In a media appearance last week, the former Barbados Minister of Tourism and International Transport said an “unfortunate” change in legislation…

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]