Antigua Breaking News

Category: Commentary

  • Heard on the Corner in A&B: Teacher Lockup

    Heard on the Corner in A&B: Teacher Lockup

    By Yvonne Reynolds TRAGEDY, oh lord, mek we ban we belly an bawl: It was with deep sadness, exasperation and regret that in January,2017, I first read the story about a Physics teacher’s arrest and felony charge for an incident which occurred at a high school (Clare Hall) where he worked. It happened after regular…

  • Consumer Affairs Watchdog in Slumber

    Consumer Affairs Watchdog in Slumber

    By Audley Phillip The Prices and Consumer Affairs Division is the consumer protection and advocacy arm of the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The Division is charged with the responsibility to safeguard the economic interests of consumers through three main areas: Consumer Redress/Protection. Consumer Education and Empowerment. Consumer Research. The local consumer watchdog agency, the Prices &…

  • Adding my $0.03 cents to LIAT

    Adding my $0.03 cents to LIAT

    Having recently read letters of commentary by Messrs Venner, Kennelon and many others, I feel somewhat obliged to add my 3 cents to the ongoing LIAT painful scenario. Firstly, a Warren Buffett lacking the necessary funds and means to raise a required amount to pitch a problem in need of solution will fail, gloriously; so…

  • Of fake this and fake that

    Of fake this and fake that

    By Audley Phillip I am tempted to laugh out loud but out of fear that I might be seen as trivializing this matter, I will keep a serious demeanor. Over the past few weeks, we have been bombarded with fake this and fake that and the debate continues. Sadly, we depend on the professionals who are schooled and trained…

  • Care for Our Offshore Islands – Watch Out for Little Creatures With Big Impacts

    Care for Our Offshore Islands – Watch Out for Little Creatures With Big Impacts

    By Natalya Lawrence A lion! An elephant! A rhino! These are responses that I have become accustomed to hearing when speaking to children about wildlife and conservation.  “Antigua nah ha nutten!”, the phrase I tend to hear when interacting with adults about local biodiversity. Antigua & Barbuda boasts over 30 offshore islands some as small…

  • Migrant Caravans: Are they in the Caribbean’s future?

    Migrant Caravans: Are they in the Caribbean’s future?

    By Sir Ronald Sanders Imagine the scene if people with little hope of a better life in Caribbean countries could walk to the United States.  Undoubtedly, many would do so, joining the tens of thousands in the present so-called Caravan from three countries in Central America – El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Television, cinema and other…

  • TODAY’s Editorial: LIAT – In Need of Surgery

    TODAY’s Editorial: LIAT – In Need of Surgery

    By Audley Phillip One can remember back in 2014, LIAT embarked on a 100 day restructuring program which was intended to solve most of the financial problems that the airline had faced.  Back then, existing shareholder governments had said that LIAT was cutting unprofitable routes and putting pressure on non-shareholder governments to get on board. It really seem like…

  • Guest Editorial: Shake up or sell LIAT

    Guest Editorial: Shake up or sell LIAT

    It was once assumed that every country or region should have its own airline since in many ways, it was one of the symbols along with its flag, national anthem and currency to define a country. For Barbados and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), LIAT has been that standard-bearer in terms of an…

  • Can anyone get our roads some band aid?

    Can anyone get our roads some band aid?

    By Audley Phillip If you have driven across Antigua lately, you probably noticed that the roads you are driving on sucks. Our roads are riddled with potholes, cracks and bumpy asphalt band aids over more potholes and cracks.  It’s bad. And it’s our fault. We cut corners early on so it looks better on the budget. But a…

  • Selling or saving the soul of the OAS

    By Sir Ronald Sanders The Organisation of American States (OAS), already a broken institution, was shattered even more on April 9 at a meeting of its Permanent Council.  It is now an organisation whose membership is deeply divided and amongst whom mistrust, and bitterness now predominates. How this huge problem will be fixed – if it…

  • Guest Editorial: The Secret of St Kitts and Nevis

    Guest Editorial: The Secret of St Kitts and Nevis

    The essence of politics is to seek an improvement in what we found. It is a peaceful process of seeking to make change. Politics should not to be consumed with the fighting of wars as there are never winners but all losers. Today, our world is facing serious political challenges. In France, President Macron, young…

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]