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United Nations now involved in case of Camaroonian refugees in St. Kitts

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(WINN) — The United Nations (UN) is now involved in the case of the 14 Cameroonians currently on St. Kitts after being rescued off the coast of the island, having left Antigua for the US Virgin Island at the end of March 2023 says St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister.

According to the Prime Minister, UN officials are expected to assess the 14 and present that report to officials outlining the way forward.

“I went and visited them, the Cameroonians – for full disclosure – I wanted to know who they are. Why are they here? Interestingly enough, when I met them, they are well-educated people. I went in; I knew Cameroonians speak French and English… they are bilingual; not only that, there are teachers among them, lawyers, business people, there are IT specialists and so forth… the Cameroonians are professionals from what I picked up and what I gleaned… however I said that we would get the United Nations involved. The United Nations is now involved, and they are going to start their own assessment, and from their assessment, they will give us a report and then based on the report, we will take our final action.” – Prime Minister Hon. Dr Terrance Drew made those remarks during the May 11 broadcast of the Roundtable; A Special Interview with the Prime Minister.

Dr. Drew also shared that the bodies of the three bodies recovered from the ocean while rescue operations were underway for 32 individuals have still not been claimed by family.

“There are three bodies here from those who died. I have said to them that if nobody claims the bodies – and we asked the UN to help us to see if there are any family members in the United States who can claim the bodies. We will find out what their religion is; if they are Muslim, we will get a Muslim Imam to come in and bury them. If there are Christians, then we are a Christian Society; we will get a Pastor to bury them. But we will make sure they are buried with the greatest of respect and in accordance with the religion they practice… When the UN gives us the assessment, we will know who they are, the religion they practice and give them a burial that is fitting of a human. We are civilised people, and irrespective of all the human trafficking issues, we as civilised people.”

The 14 individuals were set to be repatriated to Antigua and Barbuda, their last port of legal entry. However, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Hon. Gaston Browne said it would be ill-advised to have them sent back to his country, saying, “Why bring them back when they are likely to smuggle out of the country again.”

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Browne said the challenge was that some people claimed that sending them back to Cameroon would likely result in their death. The Antiguan Prime Minister said that he asked the French ambassador for assistance from France to get the Cameroonians back to their native land.

In April, nine of the 16 detainees escaped the detention facility, with all but one, Nicolas Santana Areche, back in police custody. Areche, a citizen of Antigua and a Dominican Republic native, is still missing.

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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]