Antigua Breaking News

Day: March 2, 2022

  • Barbuda Council will reach out to international agencies to get agriculture up and running, but melon production is doing well

    Barbuda Council will reach out to international agencies to get agriculture up and running, but melon production is doing well

    Fabian Jones, Chairman of the Agriculture Committee on the Barbuda Council, says the Council will be looking to strengthen and forge new partnerships with regional and international agencies in order to boost its once-thriving peanut production. Jones says the Ministry of Agriculture has not been of much help in getting this sector back up and…

  • PM Browne wants regional countries to implement CSME measures

    PM Browne wants regional countries to implement CSME measures

    Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne Tuesday urged Caricom countries to move more urgently with the implementation of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) that allows for the free movement of goods, skills, labour and services across the region. “We can no longer afford the luxury of delaying approval of key instruments such…

  • Villa man in custody following latest homicide

    Villa man in custody following latest homicide

    A 38-year-old man of Villa is currently in police custody assisting the police with their investigations into the alleged murder of 36-year-old Christopher Smithers of Friars Hill Development. It was reported that Smithers and the alleged suspect were involved in an altercation, during which, he allegedly armed himself with a sharp object to stab the…

  • COVID has taken severe mental health toll: WHO

    COVID has taken severe mental health toll: WHO

    GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP)— The COVID pandemic has taken a dire toll on mental health, WHO said Wednesday, indicating that cases of anxiety and depression had swelled by over 25 per cent globally. In a fresh scientific brief, the World Health Organization also found that the COVID-19 crisis had in many cases significantly impeded access to mental health…

  • Personal trainer stabbed to death on Popeshead Street

    Personal trainer stabbed to death on Popeshead Street

    Chris “Smithy” Smithers is Antigua and Barbuda’s second homicide victim. According to information obtained by Pointe Xpress, Smithers was stabbed following an altercation with a man who is alleged to be either a vagrant or mentally ill. It is believed that the men got into an argument after Smithers’ attacker approached him on Popeshead street.…

  • LETTER: Don’t let Gaston fool you on the Cost of Living

    LETTER: Don’t let Gaston fool you on the Cost of Living

    DEAR EDITOR: I am so upset right now at Gaston Browne. He is trying to blame Russia for the rapid rise in costs at our supermarkets. I do not believe him. This is just an excuse. The costs have been going up for many months now and they are likely to continue to rise. Instead…

  • Shanell Thomas died of gunshot injuries to the upper body-chest and abdomen

    Shanell Thomas died of gunshot injuries to the upper body-chest and abdomen

    A postmortem examination was reportedly carried out on the body of escaped prisoner Shanell Thomas… today to ascertain the cause of death. Performing the examination was pathologist Dr. Petra Miller-Nanton. Sources close to the Police investigation inform that the pathologist determined that the deceased died of gunshot injuries to the upper body-chest and abdomen. An…

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]