Antigua Breaking News

Category: Regional News

  • Barbados joins other CARICOM countries in banning single-use plastic products

    Barbados joins other CARICOM countries in banning single-use plastic products

    Barbados has become the latest Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country to announce a ban on the importation, retail, sale and use of petro-based single use plastic products. It said that products such as  single-use plastic cups; cutlery, including plastic knives, forks and spoons; stirrers; straws; plates; egg trays -both plastic and Styrofoam – and Styrofoam containers…

  • US backs opposition as Venezuela president

    US backs opposition as Venezuela president

    US President Donald Trump has said he recognises Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president. It came minutes after the 35-year-old declared himself as acting leader in Caracas on Wednesday. Tens of thousands of Venezuelans are taking to the streets in protest against President Nicolás Maduro. Mr Maduro was sworn in for a second…

  • New study warns of inadequate prevention responses to HIV epidemic in the Caribbean

    New study warns of inadequate prevention responses to HIV epidemic in the Caribbean

    A study has found that while the Caribbean has made progressing in responding to the HIV epidemic, the impact of the prevention response has been inadequate, particularly among key populations. The study also found that of concern to regional stakeholders is that the annual number of new HIV infections among adults in the Caribbean declined…

  • Region urged to prepare for possibility of severe outbreak of Dengue Fever

    Region urged to prepare for possibility of severe outbreak of Dengue Fever

    The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has called on health officials across the region to prepare for the possibility of a severe outbreak of the mosquito borne Dengue Fever. In a statement Thursday, CARPHA said the last major regional outbreak of Dengue occurred in 2009. “Since then, the Region has experienced two large outbreaks of…

  • KPMG donates funds raised for cancer

    KPMG donates funds raised for cancer

    During the months of October and November, KPMG in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean (BEC) engaged in a special campaign across Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent to raise funds for breast and prostate cancers, respectively. Dubbed the “Pink Challenge,” for every day in October that staff across KPMG BEC wore an…

  • St Kitts and Nevis PM defends decision not to make IMF report public

    St Kitts and Nevis PM defends decision not to make IMF report public

    Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris Wednesday said his administration is using the option available to it on whether or not to make public the International Monetary Fund (IMF) report on the 2017 Article IV Consultation with St. Kitts and Nevis. “We are not the only country in the last five years who have exercised that…

  • Sandals pulls out of major hotel project in Tobago

    Sandals pulls out of major hotel project in Tobago

    Sandals Resorts International (SRI) Tuesday, citing “constant and ongoing negative publicity” has withdrawn its participation in the establishment of a multi-million dollar resort on the island of Tobago. “So it is with great sadness and it is very unfortunate that we had to take this step (but) we believe it is best at this point…

  • Justin Simon testifies at disqualification trial of St Kitts opposition leader

    Justin Simon testifies at disqualification trial of St Kitts opposition leader

    The case brought against the Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Denzil Douglas, continued in court Thursday with three expert witnesses on Dominican law making presentations before  Justice Trevor Ward QC to help him determine whether Douglas, through his use of a diplomatic passport issued by the Commonwealth of Dominica, is under allegiance to a foreign power.…

  • Norovirus outbreak sickens 277 on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas

    Norovirus outbreak sickens 277 on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas

    Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas is returning to a Florida port a day early and giving passengers full refunds of their fare after 277 guests and crew members were hit with an outbreak of Norovirus as it sailed to Jamaica. Cruise line spokesman Owen Torres told The Associated Press “we think the right thing…

  • National good over narrow interests in Guyana

    National good over narrow interests in Guyana

    By Sir Ronald Sanders (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the OAS.  He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto.  The views expressed are entirely his own) The President of Guyana, David Granger, and…

  • Scotiabank officials meet with St. Kitts-Nevis PM

    Scotiabank officials meet with St. Kitts-Nevis PM

    Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris Wednesday held “cordial and productive discussions’ with officials of the Trinidad-based Republic Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL) and representatives of Scotiabank regarding the move to acquire Scotiabank operations in several Caribbean countries. Last November, the RFHL announced that it was seeking to acquire Scotiabank operations even as Antigua and Barbuda and…

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]