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FREEDOM FIGHTERS: An Act of Injustice

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On August 8, 2021 at 3:00pm, concerned citizens and nationals of Antigua & Barbuda
met to express their frustrations with the current policies of the Government being implemented for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations to the population.

The crowd of persons, who wore their masks, peacefully gathered, chanted and sung near the late V.C Bird bust located at Market Square.

As expected, the officers of the law were present.

However, The Freedom Fighters of Antigua and Barbuda, after 1 hour into our peaceful
protest, were met with conduct by the police that are generally utilized by law enforcement when dealing with riots’, and unruly crowd behaviour.

Tear Gas and rubber bullets were released into the gathering following requests by the police contingent for the persons to leave the area.

No justifications were presented to the peaceful protestors when we sought further information on the reasons for requesting our removal.

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Upon being met with unreasonable, unlawful and violent acts from the police contingent, individuals were forced to take necessary steps to defend their lives and address their need for their personal security.

We urge the population of Antigua and Barbuda to remember the following Articles, as per
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which are incorporated in sections 12 and 13
of the 1981 Antigua and Barbuda Constitution:

Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, this right includes
freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers Article 20: 1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association With these Articles in mind, we wish to once again state that our intentions are to express our concerns on the discriminative policies being forced upon individuals who are either:

1. Requesting full transparency from the Government of Antigua and Barbuda based on the
components of the COLD-19 vaccination or

2. Against the unlawful distribution of the COLID-19 vaccination due to the potential of lifealtering health risks to the society.

It is within our rights, to express our concems for the policies being imposed on the
citizens of this country. These protocols are seen to restrict others from one’s right to work.
operate their personal affairs as well as restrict access to basic needs and wants within Antigua and Barbuda

The acts committed upon the people by the police on the directions of the government
authorities on the 8 of August 2021 in the city of St John’s were barbaric and in violation of our basic human rights.

We, the members of the Freedom Fighters Association do not consider these
acts as either reasonable or acceptable. We are very disappointed by the approach and will not be dissuaded from expressing our rights in a peaceful manner.

As citizens of Antigua and Barbuda we will continue to make our voices heard until fair and equal treatment is received by all.

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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]