Antigua Breaking News

Category: Local News

  • Ashley Boodhoo off to Manila for Miss Intercontinental Pageant

    Ashley Boodhoo off to Manila for Miss Intercontinental Pageant

    Miss Antigua and Barbuda Ashley Boodhoo is preparing to leave for her first international pageant. Boodhoo, who will represent Antigua and Barbuda in the Miss Intercontinental Pageant slated for January 26 in Manila, Philippines, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Gaston Browne on Friday. She was one of three queens crowned last year.

  • Mehul Choksi company’s Thailand factory seized by Enforcement Directorate

    Mehul Choksi company’s Thailand factory seized by Enforcement Directorate

    Another property discovered to be owned by or associated with Antigua and Barbuda’s Citizenship by Investment national, Mehul Choksi, has been seized. This development comes as India’s Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached the Thailand-based factory to the two billion U.S. dollar Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case. The Enforcement Directorate is probing this case under…

  • 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…

  • Antigua and Barbuda rattled by earthquake

    Antigua and Barbuda rattled by earthquake

    The Trinidad-based Seismic Research Centre (SRC) of the St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Friday said an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.6 rattled three Caribbean islands, as the region recorded three earth tremors within a 24 hour period. It said that the latest quake, which occurred at 6:52 p.m.…

  • 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…

  • Wind turbines arrive for Gov’t alternate energy initiative, PM says

    Wind turbines arrive for Gov’t alternate energy initiative, PM says

    Prime Minister Gaston Browne has published pictures of what he said are wind turbines arriving at the Port. The Prime Minister said on social media that the wind turbines are for installation as part of a $40 million government funded alternate energy initiative. The wind turbines will be installed at Crabbs. “This has moved on…

  • PM rebuffs Pringle’s claim about not having an office

    PM rebuffs Pringle’s claim about not having an office

    Prime Minister Gaston Browne says taxpayers are paying $10,000 monthly for an office for the Leader of the Opposition Jamale Pringle that is not being used. “It is very disappointing that since elected in March 2018 and appointed Leader of the Opposition, an official office is yet to be provided to me as is required…

  • 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,…

  • IRD implements $1,500 tax on entertainment

    IRD implements $1,500 tax on entertainment

    A tax on entertainment which was postponed last year has now taken effect. The Inland Revenue Division says a $1500 flat rate will now be paid on entertainment events making $0-100,000. A two percent tax will apply on activities making more than $100,000 and are all-inclusive. A four percent tax will apply on all events…

  • Amnesty International urges countries to do away with death penalty

    Amnesty International urges countries to do away with death penalty

    The London-based international human rights organisation, Amnesty International, says while it welcomes a “significant reduction” in the application of the use of the death penalty in the English-speaking Caribbean in recent years, it is urging all regional countries to abolish it. “As the English-speaking Caribbean marks its first decade as an execution-free region, Amnesty International…

  • Mariah Carey makes pit stop in St Maarten

    Mariah Carey makes pit stop in St Maarten

    Mariah Carey was spotted on the tarmac of the Princess Juliana Airport during a pit stop in St. Maarten. The superstar was on her way to Nikki Beach in St. Barts. In 2016, Carey’s planned wedding to James Packer in Barbuda was off.

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]