Antigua Breaking News

Category: Caribbean News

  • How serious is the Caribbean about reparations?

    How serious is the Caribbean about reparations?

    By Sir Ronald Sanders  (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US and the OAS.  He is also Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto.   The views expressed are his own)  On March 25, the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS),…

  • ‘Put gas price back to $12.50 per gallon or face other actions,’ Watts and irate citizens demand ahead of people’s picket

    ‘Put gas price back to $12.50 per gallon or face other actions,’ Watts and irate citizens demand ahead of people’s picket

    The Prime Minister is being given an ultimatum:  Revert to the $12.50 per gallon retail price of gas or face other actions. This call, made by Algernon “Serpent” Watts, the United Progressive Party (UPP) Candidate for St. George, is being echoed across various business sectors and among disgruntled residents, as plans for a people’s picket…

  • Joint Diplomatic Mission Op-Ed – We All Stand With Ukraine

    Joint Diplomatic Mission Op-Ed – We All Stand With Ukraine

    People across the globe have been shocked and moved by the harrowing scenes from Ukraine. Whole cities are being destroyed by Russian missiles, with hospitals, apartment buildings and railway stations reduced to rubble. Thousands have been killed, including many children. Three million people – equivalent to the entire population of Jamaica – have fled their…

  • Dozens of people missing after boat capsizes off Florida: US Coast Guard

    Dozens of people missing after boat capsizes off Florida: US Coast Guard

    MIAMI, United States (AFP)— The US Coast Guard launched a search for 39 people reported missing when a boat capsized off the coast of Florida in a “suspected human smuggling venture,” it said Tuesday. The Coast Guard in Miami said it had received a report “from a good Samaritan” who rescued a man “clinging to a capsized…

  • LIAT pilots pullback protest

    LIAT pilots pullback protest

    A three-day protest by former LIAT employees slated to start tomorrow in Barbados and across the rest of the airline’s network has been placed on hold. President of the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA) Patterson Thompson said Thursday night that he took the decision not to go ahead with the picketing at this time…

  • CAB welcomes Dominica appointments

    CAB welcomes Dominica appointments

    The Caribbean Association of Banks (CAB) Inc. has extended congratulations to two veteran bankers who have been appointed to leadership positions with a CAB member organisation. The National Bank of Dominica (NBD) recently announced Annette Severin-Lestrade as its new Managing Director, and Linda Toussaint-Peter as Deputy Managing Director. This is a first for the bank,…

  • SXM Airport welcomes low-fare carrier Frontier Airlines

    SXM Airport welcomes low-fare carrier Frontier Airlines

    Low-fare carrier Frontier Airlines officially launched its first route network with non-stop flights to St. Maarten from Miami and Orlando, Florida at the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) on Saturday, July 10. The air service will embark on weekly flights on Saturday’s using an Airbus 320 with a seat capacity for 186. This venture serves…

  • Citizenship by Investment Unit targeting 1,000 high net-worth individuals to live and work here

    Citizenship by Investment Unit targeting 1,000 high net-worth individuals to live and work here

    Two experts from the Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU) were asked to provide options to the Cabinet members at Wednesday’s meeting, that would allow the residency program that is contemplated to be engineered in order to serve the country’s need. The idea that is being transformed into policy would allow high-net-worth individuals and high-income-earners who…

  • Editorial – Healing the LIAT divide

    Editorial – Healing the LIAT divide

    Even in the closest of families, there will be disputes. Some will be storms in teacups only to be resolved at the next clan gathering. But, unfortunately, some family disputes can become so endemic that they are disruptive for generations to come. In recent times, we have witnessed moments of tension between some leaders of…

  • UWI training regional educators to deliver courses online

    UWI training regional educators to deliver courses online

    As part of its outreach thrust and giving back to the region in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, The University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus has been assisting regional education stakeholders to identify alternative ways of providing continuing education for their students. The Campus is leading six hours of professional development training for…

  • Shell wins auction for Guyana’s first three crude oil cargoes

    Shell wins auction for Guyana’s first three crude oil cargoes

    Royal Dutch Shell won the rights to market Guyana’s first cargoes of crude oil, the government said on Tuesday, just days after oil production began and launched the impoverished South American country into the ranks of world suppliers. An Exxon Mobil-led consortium, which includes Hess Corp and China’s CNOOC Ltd, began producing crude from the…

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]