Category: Regional News

  • Union wants severance payment for LIAT workers in St Vincent

    Union wants severance payment for LIAT workers in St Vincent

    The union representing former employees of the cash-strapped regional airline, LIAT, has described as “unconscionable” the failure of the St Vincent and the Grenadines government to deal with the matter of severance payment as well as issue an official response to the collapse of the airline three years ago. President of the LIAT Workers Union…

  • Man in Puerto Rico steals ambulance that came to pick him up after accident

    Man in Puerto Rico steals ambulance that came to pick him up after accident

    (AP) — Police say that a man who was involved in a car accident Monday in Puerto Rico’s capital fled the scene in an ambulance that had arrived to help him. Authorities say police then pursued him but only found the abandoned ambulance and not the suspect. The accident occurred Monday in San Juan on…

  • 2023 hurricane season will be near the historical average with 11-15 named storms

    2023 hurricane season will be near the historical average with 11-15 named storms

    AccuWeather meteorologists recently put the final touches on their initial forecast for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, and they are emphasizing that preparations should begin in earnest even though the official start date is two months away. Mother Nature threw a bit of an atmospheric curveball in 2022 despite the presence of a moderate to strong…

  • St. Kitts and Nevis’ economic growth rebounded strongly in 2022, IMF says

    St. Kitts and Nevis’ economic growth rebounded strongly in 2022, IMF says

    In its latest report on the economic health of St. Kitts and Nevis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that the Federation’s economy continues to rebound despite global hiccups post-COVID-19. “St. Kitts and Nevis’ economic growth rebounded strongly in 2022 despite global headwinds. GDP is estimated to have grown by 9 percent in 2022 after…

  • InterCaribbean Airways increases service to Dominica

    InterCaribbean Airways increases service to Dominica

    The Ministry of Tourism is pleased to announce the expanded flight schedule to service Dominica and the rest of the Caribbean. On March 15, InterCaribbean held its maiden voyage with its ATR aircraft to Dominica. An official ceremony was held to mark the event which included a water cannon welcome symbolic of the inaugural flight…

  • US increases visa processing fees for Caribbean visitors

    US increases visa processing fees for Caribbean visitors

    (CMC) — The United States Department of State on Tuesday published a Final Rule regarding increases to certain non-immigrant visa application (NIV) processing fees for Caribbean and other visitors. The increases, published Tuesday in the US Federal Register,  will become effective on May 30, 2023. The State Department said the fee for visitor visas for…

  • 2 men charged with buggery after allegedly assaulting girl, 12, in Jamaica

    2 men charged with buggery after allegedly assaulting girl, 12, in Jamaica

    A 20-year-old farmer and an 18-year-old man have been charged with buggery and failure to report a child in need of care and protection after a child was reportedly taken into a banana field and assaulted. Charged are Anthony Grant otherwise called ‘Murderer’ and Marlon Reid both of Plantation Heights, St James. According to the…

  • Trinidad man robbed of $5.00 by 3 men

    Trinidad man robbed of $5.00 by 3 men

    Trinidad’s Central Division police arrested two men from Calcutta No 2 in Freeport after a 41-year-old resident accused them of robbing him of $5, cigarettes, and his cell phone. The victim, Sanjeev Ramlakhan, reported he was walking in Calcutta No 2, Freeport, at around 11.30 pm on Saturday when three men accosted him and announced…

  • The UWI’s Tribute to Professor Sir Howard Fergus

    The UWI’s Tribute to Professor Sir Howard Fergus

    The people of Montserrat and The UWI Community mourn the loss of Professor Sir Howard Fergus, KBE, BA, PhD UWI; MEd Manc; Cert Ed who transitioned on Thursday, March 23. Sir Howard was a lifelong educator as well as an accomplished poet, historian, and writer.  He attended Erdiston Teachers College in Barbados from 1957-1959 and…

  • Former government minister released from US prison, returns to Barbados

    Former government minister released from US prison, returns to Barbados

    Former Government Minister Donville Inniss who was convicted of money laundering in the United States of America, returned home late Saturday after spending two years in prison. The 57-year-old former St James South Member of Parliament, who resided in Tampa, Florida, was convicted in January 2020 after a one-week trial on one count of conspiracy…

  • Two US citizens kidnapped in Haiti

    Two US citizens kidnapped in Haiti

    (CMC) — The State Department in the United States says that it has been notified of the kidnapping of two US citizens who were on a trip to visit family in Haiti. It is reported that Abigail Toussaint and Jean-Dickens Toussaint, both 33, from the state of Florida, were taken near the capital Port-au-Prince and…

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]