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  • The Week That Was & What A Week It Was – The Story Of The Continued Exploitation Of The West Africans

The Week That Was & What A Week It Was – The Story Of The Continued Exploitation Of The West Africans

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By Audley Phillip

Last week, most of us woke up to the news that a boat moving passengers from Antigua to the USVI had capsized and a number of its passengers were missing.  Speculation was rife  about the identity of the passengers but soon confirmation came that the majority of the passengers on that ill-fated boat were Cameroonians.  The early reports confirmed that of the 32 passengers in the boat  13 were unaccounted for.

The circumstances which brought these “tourists” to Antigua are still being actively  debated in Antigua & Barbuda and elsewhere today.  After a grand fanfare and ceremony at V.C. Bird International Airport at which the country’s Tourism Minister, Foreign Minister and other key Tourism stakeholders presided, their entry into this paradise isle was nothing short of dramatic.

Then there were scenes of these “tourists” roaming the streets in St.John’ s and elsewhere, unable to  afford to pay for local accommodation unlike  what one would expect of the ordinary “tourist.”  It became apparent that these “tourists” were duped, transported and dumped at our doorsteps  and we were totally lost in the process as to exactly what was going on.

Then greater trouble surfaced.  when the “bridge” that was extended from West Africa to Antigua collapsed  and Antigua was saddled with hundreds of West Africans immigrants and not knowing what to do with them.

There can be nothing in this world worse than desperation plus ignorance,  especially when you are seemingly hopeless and in despair.   Any opportunity however ridiculous,  would sound appealing..  And no doubt, some opportunistic  persons on that side of the Atlantic, saw an opportunity to make huge sums of money and that they did.

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Government and ordinary citizens here were duped into believing that our guests were bonafide tourists looking to expand trade and other opportunities between Africa and the Caribbean.    Lack of geographical knowledge  and awareness of exactly where they were heading, and an urgent desire to get to the United States to begin a new life might have caused these West Africans to dash at this opportunity to come to ANTIGUA, perhaps confusing ANTIGUA with a  City in Guatemala by the same name..  Having never before heard of our little island paradise, they thought that they were being taken to ANTIGUA in GUATEMALA, from where they could join one of the many caravans there and cross the border and into the United States.

They were all shocked to learn  that the country they landed in was not ANTIGUA in GUATEMALA. And even after the appeasement by the government in offering them migrant status to allow them to remain in Antigua, the realities of life and economic deprivation soon became apparent to them in Antigua.  The huge excitement of their trip across the Atlantic and the thousands of dollars that they paid in ticket fares and other incidentals,  had all suddenly come to naught.  They all felt cheated and taken for granted in their homeland.

Yet they were undaunted and  not prepared to give up on their quest to reach the United States.     They were too far away now to turn back.  So with the help of unscrupulous actors locally and regionally, they were still prepared to risk all and do whatever it takes to get to the United States.

And that is the genesis of these dangerous voyages in small and overcrowded crafts. Local and regional boating people, aware of their plight,  were ready to  step  in to fill the need.

I am not certain if this major tragedy would end these attempts as the remaining  West Africans are all still adamant to get to the United States at any cost.  By the look of things, the exploitation would continue.

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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]