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Ministries collaborate on establishment of protocols to guide tourism industry operations

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Tourism and Health officials will meet in the forthcoming week to discuss protocols, which will be implemented by industry stakeholders to guide their operations upon resumption of business.

“The idea is safety for all the people, the employees and the guests as well, hence the reason why we are collaborating to ensure that every best practice possible to prevent any spread of COVID-19 is instituted,” said Tourism Minister Max Fernandez.

The Minister continued: “Hopefully the government will relax the aspect of access to the beach as that is a very important part of our product offering and in this time a lot of our visitors will be coming to enjoy the sea and sun which may be deemed as necessary and therapeutic to fight the scourge of COVID-19.”

Minister Fernandez met last week with members of the Antigua and Barbuda Hotels and Tourist Association to discuss the state of the industry and the way forward amid the current COVID-19 crisis.

On Saturday the Minister of Tourism was treated to a swift tour of the Sandals Resort to see first-hand the status of the property which has kept some employees on staff to see to its daily maintenance, security and upkeep.

According to General Manager Matthew Cornwall, the property is still in pristine state. The gardens are well kept, the pools and spas are cleaned and disinfected regularly even with no guests on property. Rooms are aired or humidified at regular intervals as well.

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Ambassador at Large, Brian Gonsalves who was present at the tour, stated that the resort is in a state of readiness as the Owner and CEO of Sandals Antigua, Gordon Butch Stuart, has indicated that in the very near future he will be commencing a timed re-opening of his regional hotel chain, with Antigua earmarked to be in the first 5 properties to be commence operations.

A few changes will be made such as social-distanced dining, prerequisite elevator-use hand sanitizing and the use of masks by employees and guests.

Staff at Sandals Resort and Spa are engaged in continuous training to operate efficiently in a state of COVID-19 alertness.

Minister Fernandez was fully appreciative and enthused about the developments at the resort saying that all industry partners should operate under the new paradigm and implement measures to ensure economic viability while maintaining optimal health and safety.

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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]