Antigua Breaking News

Category: World News

  • Facebook and Instagram are down for some users around the world

    Facebook and Instagram are down for some users around the world

    Facebook and Instagram appear to be partially down for some users around the world today. While you can open both platforms, it looks like you can’t send or receive messages on either platform, and you can’t post new content either. WhatsApp appeared to be fine for many people, but users in Paraguay, India, Bangladesh, Argentina,…

  • MPs reject Theresa May’s deal by 149 votes

    MPs reject Theresa May’s deal by 149 votes

    Prime Minister Theresa May’s EU withdrawal deal has been rejected by MPs for a second time, throwing her Brexit strategy into further confusion. MPs voted down her deal by 391 to 242 – a smaller defeat than when they rejected it in January. The PM said MPs will now get a vote on whether the…

  • Boeing 737 Max not safe? 2 crashes, 62 airlines in danger?

    Boeing 737 Max not safe? 2 crashes, 62 airlines in danger?

    How safe is the brand new Boeing 737 Max 8? This a legitimate question to ask while search and rescue operations are in progress in Ethiopia after today’s Ethiopian Airlines crash. Here is the sales pitch: The 737-800 delivers superior reliability, fuel efficiency and high-value returns that operators require in today’s competitive market. Its exceptional versatility and lower…

  • No survivors as Ethiopian Airlines flight crashes with 157 people on board

    No survivors as Ethiopian Airlines flight crashes with 157 people on board

    BBC – An Ethiopian Airlines jet has crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa, killing all on board, the airline says. It said 149 passengers and eight crew members were believed to be on flight ET302 from the Ethiopian capital to Nairobi in Kenya. The airline said that there were 33 different nationalities on board.…

  • Facebook steps up fight against vaccine misinformation

    Facebook steps up fight against vaccine misinformation

    Social media giant Facebook says it will remove groups and pages that spread misinformation about vaccinations on its site. It’s the latest step Facebook and others are taking to stem the tide of misinformation on social media sites. Facebook says it will take its cue from global health organizations, such as the World Health Organization…

  • Here’s why that Momo Challenge face creeps you out

    Here’s why that Momo Challenge face creeps you out

    Reportedly created by Japanese company Link Factory, Momo has become a celebrity in the last week for all the wrong reasons. The face at the center of the eponymous Momo Challenge hoax is something of an avian-human hybrid and, undoubtedly, creepy. That creepiness factor is, in part, responsible for the virality of the challenge, which, according to…

  • Michael Cohen: Ex-lawyer tells Congress Trump directed lies

    Michael Cohen: Ex-lawyer tells Congress Trump directed lies

    US President Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen has claimed Trump wanted him to lie about a property deal in Moscow amid his election campaign. In congressional testimony, Cohen said Trump directed covert plans for the skyscraper, even while he denied having any business in Russia. He also said Trump knew about a leak of hacked…

  • Prince Philip, 97, gives up driving licence

    Prince Philip, 97, gives up driving licence

    The Duke of Edinburgh is to voluntarily give up his driving licence, Buckingham Palace has said. It comes after the 97-year-old duke apologised over a car crash near the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, in which his Land Rover Freelander landed on its side after a collision with a Kia. Two days later Norfolk Police gave…

  • Trump’s White House reportedly launches manhunt for leaker who released his private schedule

    Trump’s White House reportedly launches manhunt for leaker who released his private schedule

    The leak of President Donald Trump’s private schedule dating back to the 2018 November midterm elections sparked a manhunt for the individual responsible for its release, according to Politico report published Friday. The White House tapped into the services of the IT office and is believed to have made progress in its search, people familiar with the…

  • The Queen to be relocated in case of Brexit unrest – media

    The Queen to be relocated in case of Brexit unrest – media

    British officials have revived Cold War emergency plans to relocate the royal family should there be riots in London if Britain suffers a disruptive departure from the European Union next month, two Sunday newspapers reported. “These emergency evacuation plans have been in existence since the Cold War, but have now been repurposed in the event…

  • Prince Philip unhurt in crash while driving

    Prince Philip unhurt in crash while driving

    The Duke of Edinburgh has been involved in a car crash while driving near the Queen’s Sandringham estate, Buckingham Palace has said. Prince Philip, 97, was not injured in the accident, which happened as he drove a Land Rover out of a driveway onto the A149 shortly before 15:00 GMT. The other car involved was…

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]