Antigua Breaking News

Category: Business

  • PM, Scotiabank officials to meet

    PM, Scotiabank officials to meet

    The Antigua and Barbuda government Friday said that a meeting with officials of the Bank of Nova Scotia will take place this month after initially indicating that the bank had turned down the request for the talks regarding the sale of its branch holdings on the island. Government Chief of Staff, Lionel ‘Max’ Hurst, speaking…

  • Customs Department clamping down on illegal alcohol and tobacco imports

    Customs Department clamping down on illegal alcohol and tobacco imports

    The Customs Department will confiscate alcohol and tobacco that does not bear a required stamp, Comptroller of Customs Raju Boddo has announced. Boddo said the new measure will come into effect later this year. Customs reportedly loses up to $10 million annually from illegally imported alcohol and tobacco. Boddo told state media “we don’t have…

  • Sandals to eliminate Styrofoam at all resorts

    Sandals to eliminate Styrofoam at all resorts

    Sandals Resorts International (SRI) says it will be eliminating all Styrofoam products from the 19 Sandals and Beaches resorts across the region, “in a continued effort to protect the environment.” Deputy Chairman of SRI, Adam Stewart, in a statement on Thursday said environmental sustainability remains a key priority to the company.  “After eliminating plastic straws,…

  • APUA to invest EC$80 million in its own sub-sea cable

    APUA to invest EC$80 million in its own sub-sea cable

    The Antigua Public Utilities Authority is expected to invest $80 million in its own sub-sea cable, Prime Minister Gaston Browne has announced. Browne said high-speed broadband is essential to provide wide enough bandwidth to facilitate all the modern industries that now operate globally on the Internet. “That is why in 2019, APUA will invest $80…

  • Nothing half-way about planned luxury resort Half Moon Bay Antigua

    Nothing half-way about planned luxury resort Half Moon Bay Antigua

    Forbes – One world-class Caribbean setting is going to become even more unrivaled starting in summer 2019. That’s when Half Moon Bay Antigua, a low-density, 132-acre resort, is slated to begin construction in Antigua, the favorite vacation destination of Princess Diana and Whitney Houston, and the haunt of tycoons like Richard Branson and Georgio Armani. From…

  • Sagicor says it’s here to stay

    Sagicor says it’s here to stay

    Financial services giant Sagicor Financial Corporation is reassuring Barbadians and other residents throughout the region and the United States that the company remains committed and its recently proposed deal with Canadian-based Alignvest will not impact on its operations. This assurance comes a month after the company announced that it had agreed to sell its shares,…

  • Antigua invites ScotiaBank to meeting to discuss purchase

    Antigua invites ScotiaBank to meeting to discuss purchase

    Prime Minister Gaston Browne has invited competent authorities of the Bank of Nova Scotia to a meeting by 7th January 2019 to discuss the purchase of the bank’s branch holdings in Antigua and Barbuda. The invitation is contained in a letter sent on December 13 by the Prime Minister to Scotiabank’s branch Manager in Antigua,…

  • Scotiabank obligation for decades of profits

    Scotiabank obligation for decades of profits

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

  • PM reiterates position regarding sale of Scotiabank

    PM reiterates position regarding sale of Scotiabank

    Prime Minister Gaston Browne says the Antigua and Barbuda government will not be held responsible for any run on Scotiabank as he reiterated his administration’s position in not providing a vesting order to facilitate the sale of the financial institution to Trinidad-based Republic Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL). “What if there is a run on the…

  • Dominica and Airbnb sign agreement to promote tourism and home sharing

    Dominica and Airbnb sign agreement to promote tourism and home sharing

    The Discover Dominica Authority and Airbnb have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to cooperate on areas of common interest. By promoting the destination to a wide range of travelers through the platform the agreement will ensure home sharing continues to thrive as a healthy addition to the local tourism sector, helping support economic growth,…

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]