Antigua Breaking News

Category: Health

  • Man claims COVID shrank his penis 1.5 inches

    Man claims COVID shrank his penis 1.5 inches

    Talk about getting the short end of the stick. As if contracting COVID wasn’t bad enough, a dismayed man now claims that he’s lost a whopping 1.5 inches from the length of his penis as a lingering result of the vile virus. “My penis has shrunk,” lamented the griping guy in a letter to the…

  • Men who vape are twice as likely to have erectile dysfunction: study

    Men who vape are twice as likely to have erectile dysfunction: study

    Stick this in your e-cig and smoke it. New research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has suggested a correlation between vaping nicotine and impotence, as findings indicate male e-cigarette users are more than twice as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction [ED] compared to non-vapers. The study, conducted by doctors at New…

  • A 2nd HIV patient may have been ‘cured’ of infection without stem cell treatment, in extremely rare case

    A 2nd HIV patient may have been ‘cured’ of infection without stem cell treatment, in extremely rare case

    (CNN)Researchers say they have found a second patient whose body seemingly had rid itself of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS — supporting hope that it may be possible someday to find a way to cure more people of the virus. The patient has received no regular treatment for her infection but is…

  • UK adds nerve disorder as rare side-effect of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

    UK adds nerve disorder as rare side-effect of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

    Europe’s medicines regulator has added an extremely rare nerve-damaging disorder, Guillain-Barré syndrome, as a possible side-effect of AstraZeneca’s (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine, regular safety updates from the watchdog showed on Wednesday. The European Medicines Agency said a causal relationship between GBS and the AstraZeneca shot, known as Vaxzevria, was a “at least a reasonable possibility” after…

  • Eat Right: Foods that boost the health of your lungs

    Eat Right: Foods that boost the health of your lungs

    Keeping your lungs healthy is essential. Yet, eating an inflammatory diet, smoking and environmental toxins will take a toll on this important organ. Then there are maladies such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pulmonary fibrosis that can significantly affect our quality of life However, all is not lost and we can reduce…

  • Erections reported among vaccine side-effects — Massiah

    Erections reported among vaccine side-effects — Massiah

    BVI: Some male residents who have been given the COVID-19 jab have registered what may be seen as moderate but unusual side effects, including uncontrolled penile erections and extra energy. This is according to National Epidemiologist, Harmonie Massiah, who shared those reports during a live COVID-19 update on Facebook yesterday, September 27. At the time,…

  • To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? Do not allow your body to produce the next COVID-19 variant of concern

    To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? Do not allow your body to produce the next COVID-19 variant of concern

    By Eleanor Frederick, MSc. MPH It has taken more than 30 years of research for scientists to develop the technology needed to determine how to effectively deliver to our bodies, vaccines such as those being used against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.  We can remember SARS in 2003, it had a fatality rate of…

  • Potential HIV vaccine falls short in mid-stage study — J&J

    Potential HIV vaccine falls short in mid-stage study — J&J

    LONDON, United Kingdom (AP) — A potential HIV vaccine being developed by Johnson & Johnson did not provide protection against the virus in a mid-stage study, the drugmaker said Tuesday. J&J plans to end that study, which involved young women in sub-Saharan Africa. But researchers will continue a separate, late-stage trial involving a different composition…

  • Pfizer seeking FDA OK for COVID-19 vaccine booster dose

    Pfizer seeking FDA OK for COVID-19 vaccine booster dose

    Pfizer is seeking United States approval of a booster dose of its two-shot COVID-19 vaccine. The drugmaker said Wednesday that it has started the application process for a third dose of its vaccine for everyone ages 16 and older. The company said it will complete the application with the Food and Drug Administration by the…

  • Study shows sperm decline in marijuana smokers

    Study shows sperm decline in marijuana smokers

    A recent study in the United States supports the findings from research in China that found past and present male marijuana smokers had a decline in sperm quality compared to non-smokers. Scientists from Tulane University also found that smokers had greater motility of sperm, meaning it moved more quickly. “The negative results, meaning low volume…

  • U.S. Study concludes vaccinated people can carry as much virus as others

    U.S. Study concludes vaccinated people can carry as much virus as others

    (Associated Press) — In another dispiriting setback for the nation’s efforts to stamp out the coronavirus, scientists who studied a big COVID-19 outbreak in Massachusetts concluded that vaccinated people who got so-called breakthrough infections carried about the same amount of the coronavirus as those who did not get the shots. Health officials on Friday released…

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]