Category: Regional News

  • IMF predicts near 60 per cent economic growth for Guyana

    IMF predicts near 60 per cent economic growth for Guyana

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Tuesday said overall economic growth is projected to be 57.8 per cent this year for Guyana as the country continues to recover from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic-induced recession in 2020, and protracted political transition, non-oil economic growth. The IMF executive board, which has concluded its annual bilateral discussions with Guyana,…

  • Popular Jamaican social media influencer gunned down after speaking out against double murder

    Popular Jamaican social media influencer gunned down after speaking out against double murder

    Gleaner: Popular Clarendon blogger Leon ‘Leegates’ McNeil was murdered in Hayes just hours after he commented on a double murder in the neighbouring community of Portland Cottage. McNeil, 36, founder of Leegates TV and Entertainment, had expressed grave concerns about Jamaica’s murder rate in a live Facebook video some five hours before his murder. The…

  • Cuba approves same-sex marriage in referendum

    Cuba approves same-sex marriage in referendum

    Cubans have approved a sweeping “family law” code that would allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt as well as redefining rights for children and grandparents, officials said Monday, though opposition in the national referendum was unusually strong on the Communist Party-governed island. The measure — which contains more than 400 articles — was approved…

  • Tourism official calls for ‘DYNAMIC TAX’ to address high cost of air travel

    Tourism official calls for ‘DYNAMIC TAX’ to address high cost of air travel

    The President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) is recommending a tiered “dynamic taxation system” as a novel and potential solution to address ongoing concerns about the high cost of air travel within and to and from the region. Calling for a flexible approach to levying airline taxes, CHTA’s President Nicola Madden-Greig said…

  • Man murders woman he wrongly thought gave him HIV

    Man murders woman he wrongly thought gave him HIV

    iWitnessNews St. Vincent: A High Court judge in St. Vincent has sentenced a 26-year-old man who murdered a woman he wrongly thought had infected him with HIV to a further 17 years, five months and 11 days in prison. The three years, 10 months and 19 days that Desron Roberts, of Cane End, spent in…

  • A 3-vehicle accident in Anguilla killed one and injured five

    A 3-vehicle accident in Anguilla killed one and injured five

    On Anguilla last evening, three cars were involved in an accident that resulted in a death. The incident occurred at 7 p.m. on West End Public Road, near the NCBA building, according to the Royal Anguilla Police Force. The identity of the person has not been released. One victim is in critical condition at the…

  • No immediate plans to redesign EC currency following Queen’s death

    No immediate plans to redesign EC currency following Queen’s death

    The Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) Timothy NJ Antoine says there are no immediate plans to make changes to the Eastern Caribbean polymer notes and coins following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Responding to a question during a live interview “Conversation with the Governor” in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Antoine…

  • Antigua to follow up on commitments to support St Kitts and Nevis’ bid for Climate Finance

    Antigua to follow up on commitments to support St Kitts and Nevis’ bid for Climate Finance

    St Kitts and Nevis is moving closer towards addressing climate-related challenges, as Antigua and Barbuda has made commitments to support the federation in its accreditation bid for Green Climate Funding (GCF) and by extension, its move to address plastic pollution. During the 77th UN General Assembly, Dr. Joyelle Clarke met with the co-chairperson of the…

  • Teen who raped, buggered and smothered girl, 9, to death sentenced to life in prison

    Teen who raped, buggered and smothered girl, 9, to death sentenced to life in prison

    JAMAICA OBSERVER: The absence of any “empathy or sympathy” on the part of the Westmoreland teen who used his knowledge of his nine-year-old neighbour and schoolmate’s love of fruits to lure, rape, bugger and smother her to death in 2018 signalled that he had such a “deep problem” that he could not be sentenced to…

  • US VP Kamala Harris meets leaders of CARICOM

    US VP Kamala Harris meets leaders of CARICOM

    Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley was among a number of CARICOM leaders who met with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on September 15. Harris underscored the importance of the U.S.-Caribbean relationship and the United States’ commitment to the Caribbean inthe areas of energy security, development and climate finance, and food security.…

  • Jamaican man, 31, accused of travelling to Florida to have sex with 14-year-old

    Jamaican man, 31, accused of travelling to Florida to have sex with 14-year-old

    Thirty-one-year-old Jamaican man was arrested in Pensacola, Florida after he allegedly travelled to engage in sexual activities with an undercover police agent posing as a 14-year-old. Taje Ghavri Samuels, a resident of Kingston, Jamaica, is charged with one count of travelling to meet a minor to engage in sexual conduct, seven counts of transmission of…

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]