Antigua Breaking News

Category: Health

  • 2 men found with a completely drug-resistant form of HIV. Doctors are worried.

    2 men found with a completely drug-resistant form of HIV. Doctors are worried.

    Doctors in France have discovered two men with drug-resistant strains of HIV. One is a 23-year-old man who was diagnosed with HIV in September of 2019, the second is a 54-year-old man who has had HIV since 1995. Both men have sex with other men and they are from the same region in southern France.…

  • Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson: Actor and family had COVID-19

    Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson: Actor and family had COVID-19

    Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson says he and his family had all contracted Covid-19. The former wrestler, who is now the world’s highest-paid actor, said he, his wife and two daughters caught the virus despite being “disciplined” about health protection. He said the positive tests were “a kick in the gut”. Now, he added: “We’re on…

  • Honeybee venom ‘kills some breast cancer cells’

    Honeybee venom ‘kills some breast cancer cells’

    Australian scientists say the venom from honeybees has been found to destroy aggressive breast cancer cells in a lab setting. The venom – and a compound in it called melittin – were used against two cancer types which are hard to treat: triple-negative and HER2-enriched. The discovery has been described as “exciting”, but scientists caution…

  • How Acid Reflux Can Damage Your Teeth

    How Acid Reflux Can Damage Your Teeth

    Acid reflux is a condition in which contents of the stomach travel back up the esophagus, causing a painful burning sensation in the chest. Millions of people affected by acid reflux, also known as GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease), are at a higher risk for cancer and other dysfunctions of the digestive tract. The condition itself…

  • Life-saving coronavirus drug ‘major breakthrough’

    Life-saving coronavirus drug ‘major breakthrough’

    A cheap and widely available drug can help save the lives of patients seriously ill with coronavirus. The low-dose steroid treatment dexamethasone is a major breakthrough in the fight against the deadly virus, UK experts say. The drug is part of the world’s biggest trial testing existing treatments to see if they also work for coronavirus. It…

  • COVID-19 cases top 1,000 in The Bahamas with 47 new cases Wednesday

    COVID-19 cases top 1,000 in The Bahamas with 47 new cases Wednesday

    The Bahamas has recorded more than 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The Ministry of Health reported an additional 47 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases in The Bahamas to 1,036. Of the new cases, there are 40 on New Providence, five on Cat Island, one on Abaco and one on Exuma. According…

  • No preferential treatment for overseas doctors in medical internships

    No preferential treatment for overseas doctors in medical internships

    Cabinet Notes — The Medical Director was told that one young man made the claim that a majority of young doctors who are allowed to join the internship program at the MSJMC are from countries other than Antigua and Barbuda. The Medical Director provided the facts showing that to be a false claim. The annual…

  • Jamaica’s COVID-related hospitalizations hit record 35, New cases jump by 11

    Jamaica’s COVID-related hospitalizations hit record 35, New cases jump by 11

    The Health Ministry is reporting that Jamaica has seen a record increase in the number of COVID-related hospitalisations. According to the ministry, 35 people confirmed or suspected, are now hospitalised. The ministry said this number includes eight patients who are moderately ill. This is also the highest ever number of patients counted as moderately ill.…

  • COVID-19: Oxford vaccine triggers immune response

    COVID-19: Oxford vaccine triggers immune response

    BBC – A coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford appears safe and triggers an immune response. Trials involving 1,077 people showed the injection led to them making antibodies and T-cells that can fight coronavirus. The findings are hugely promising, but it is still too soon to know if this is enough to offer protection…

  • CARPHA laboratory achieves 100 per cent turnaround time for all diagnostic tests

    CARPHA laboratory achieves 100 per cent turnaround time for all diagnostic tests

    In June 2020, the CARPHA Medical Microbiology Laboratory (CMML) processed the largest number of samples – an unprecedented achievement in the history of the organisation.  A total of 3,250 samples were received, representing an average of more than 150 samples per business day. As the regional reference laboratory, the CMML continues to conduct tests for…

  • BREAKING: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro tests positive for coronavirus

    BREAKING: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro tests positive for coronavirus

    Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro says he has tested positive for the coronavirus after months of downplaying the virus’s severity. Bolsonaro confirmed the test results while wearing a mask and speaking to reporters in the capital Brasilia. “I’m well, normal. I even want to take a walk around here, but I can’t due to medical recommendations,”…

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]