Category: Regional News

  • British national shot and killed in St Lucia

    British national shot and killed in St Lucia

    An investigation has been launched following an incident at a bar in which a British national was killed and several others were injured when masked gunmen opened fire at the establishment late Saturday. According to police reports, Donnie McKinnon, who manages the Soufriere Estate on the island, was on the balcony  of Steve’s Bar, along with his…

  • Millions in back pay for public servants in St Lucia

    Millions in back pay for public servants in St Lucia

    The administration of Prime Minister Phillip Pierre says the government will be disbursing over EC$20 million in back pay owed to public servants. In a statement on Saturday, the government stated that over EC$2.6 million will be invested in the economic stimulus programme that will benefit the island’s 17 constituencies by creating new jobs, improving…

  • OECS Trade Ministers to Strengthen Trade Policy Coordination and advance actions to operationalize the Eastern Caribbean Economic Union

    OECS Trade Ministers to Strengthen Trade Policy Coordination and advance actions to operationalize the Eastern Caribbean Economic Union

    Ministers of Trade from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) convened for the Fourth Meeting of the OECS Council of Minsters: Trade (CoM-Trade) at the Royalton Hotel in Antigua and Barbuda, on November 24. The Meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Paul Chet Greene, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and Immigration of Antigua…

  • Sandals to hire 3,000 in five years

    Sandals to hire 3,000 in five years

    As Sandals Resorts International (SRI) continues to pursue expansion plans over the next three to five years, it will hire 3,000 more employees to help execute its vision. Three hundred of them will be at management level and they will be on the job within the next three years, according to an upbeat SRI Executive…

  • Higher cost of living demands competent governments

    Higher  cost of living demands competent governments

    By Sir Ronald Sanders (The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States of America and the Organization of American States.   He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto) Throughout the world, people and their governments and…

  • Vessel sinks with 900 barrels of diesel fuel off Trinidad coast

    Vessel sinks with 900 barrels of diesel fuel off Trinidad coast

    Trinidad’s Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries on Wednesday said that a barge carrying 900 barrels of diesel fuel sank while demobilising in the Gulf of Paria. The ministry also reported that the six-member crew has been rescued. In a statement, the ministry said the barge, Liftboat Daniela of the locally owned Trinity Liftboat Services…

  • Trinidad rattled by 5.1 magnitude earthquake

    Trinidad rattled by 5.1 magnitude earthquake

    An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 rattled Trinidad and Tobago late on Tuesday night, but there were no reports of injuries or damages. The Seismic Research Centre (SRC) of the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus in Trinidad said that the quake occurred at 10:21 pm, and at a depth of 10…

  • 33 competing in Montserrat’s 2022 Calypso Eliminations

    33 competing in Montserrat’s 2022 Calypso Eliminations

    Montserrat’s Carnival 2022 season kicks off with the much-anticipated Calypso Eliminations on Saturday, December 3 at Festival Village. Head of the calypso committee Theodore Phillip said a total of 33 people are currently rehearsing with the Black Rhythms Band, which is led by former calypso monarch and songwriter Cecil “Cepeke” Lake (1987, 1990, 1999), for…

  • Kia Purotu Koe

    Kia Purotu Koe

    By Cdr. Bud Slabbaert No, it is not gobbledygook. And it has nothing to do with the car brand Kia. “Kia Purotu Koe” is how people say “Hello“ on the Island of Mangareva in Southern Polynesia. It means “May you remain beautiful”. Oh, I tell you, it makes you feel so good. Give it to…

  • Forecasters predict possible flooding in the Caribbean this Christmas

    Forecasters predict possible flooding in the Caribbean this Christmas

    The Barbados-based Caribbean Institute for Meteorology & Hydrology (CIMH) is warning the region that recent heavy rains could continue into December and pose a risk for flooding during one of the most joyous seasons of the year. “This year, flooding is a bigger risk in December than in other years,” CIMH climatologist Cédric Van Meerbeeck…

  • Jamaican youth on a mission to fight HIV/AIDS

    Jamaican youth on a mission to fight HIV/AIDS

    Back on local soil after completing a Master of Science degree in Public Health and Health Promotion at England’s Brunel University London, Chad Morgan is looking to utilise his wealth of knowledge to play an active role in Jamaica’s fight against HIV/AIDS. Morgan, one of last year’s Chevening scholars, told the Jamaica Observer that he believes 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]