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Antiguans to participate in international steelpan competition

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PanoGrama made its mark on the entertainment scene, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought physical events to a screeching halt in 2020. Now in its third year, the highly anticipated virtual steelpan competition is gearing up for more action. This year’s competition takes place from May 6 – June 12, 2022 and is set to feature 27 pannists from a total of 11 countries.

The competition has seen the return of several countries since its first and second staging, and welcomes newcomers St. Kitts & Nevis and Belize to the fold. The two newcomers will join Antigua & Barbuda, Canada, France, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, the USA, and the US Virgin Islands when the event gets underway.

Belizean pannist Alexander Evans is extremely excited to be participating in his first soloist steelpan competition. “It is a privilege and an honor to be the first Belizean to participate in this competition, and I hope to represent my country well and to remind the world that yes, Belize is here; We are strong in our Caribbean identity; and we can stand proudly on any international stage.”

Meanwhile, reigning champion Keishaun Julien (Trinidad & Tobago) has opted out of defending his title, and will not feature this year. Julien disclosed that winning PanoGrama “opened the door to many opportunities for which I am eternally grateful. However, for 2022 I’ve decided to focus my energy on other aspects of my brand.” He encourages all participants to be strategic, be creative and most importantly, to have fun, and looks forward to seeing all the amazing talent.

This year’s winner will walk away with over USD $6,000.00 worth of prizes, which includes an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas, a brand-new Perfect Steel tenor pan and case, USD $1,000.00 cash, and a private session with a world-renowned steelpannist. Professor Liam Teague, Dr. Mia Gormandy-Benjamin and adjunct Professor Victor Provost will have the difficult task of adjucating the pannists, while Ojay Richards and Andy Chichester stand ready as judges substitutes.

The competition will take place virtually from May 6 – June 12, 2022, and will be streamed on YouTube. The prelims are set for May 6-8, the semifinals on May 29, while the curtains will fall with the finals on June 12. With over a month to prepare, the participants are in high gear for competition.  Visit http://www.pano-grama.com/grama-22 for more information.

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2022 PARTICIPANTS

Antigua & Barbuda – Maurisha Potter, Malik Smith, Jawan Henry

Belize – Alexander Evans

Canada – Gabriel Chartrand, Thadel Wilson

France – Olivier Wiren, Mathieu Borgne

Grenada – Mikiel Smith

Jamaica – Kraig Bisnott

St. Kitts & Nevis – Aaron Mentos

St. Lucia – Al Alexander

Trinidad & Tobago – Shaquille Forbes, Marcus Prince, Sachelle Thomas, Devon Atherley, Jamel Cadette, Deja Cain, Simeon Superville, Aquila Pereira, Tevin Shockness, Christopher Neale, Hanif Goodridge, Emannuel Joseph, Jaron Woodsley 

USA – David Yundi

US Virgin Islands – Miguel Bougouneau

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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]