ECCB 2016/2017 Annual Report

ECCB ANNUAL REPORT 2016/2017

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Governor Timothy N. J. Antoine (Front Row: fourth from left) with Junior Debt Managers Programme participants and facilitators

T hrough the Canada-Eastern Caribbean Debt Management Advisory Service (CANEC-DMAS) Project, the Bank provided capacity building to the ECCB member countries in a number of debt areas including: debt management strategies; debt portfolio reviews; debt bulletins; and improvements in the quality and timeliness of debt data. One of the major achievements under the Bank’s debt management agenda was the Junior Debt Managers Programme (JDMP). The programme was a joint venture between the ECCB and the IMF, with funding from the Government of Canada. The six-month training course was held at the ECCB Headquarters over the period 3 October 2016 to 31 March 2017. The purpose of the programme was to strengthen public debt management in the ECCU by training young professionals with the skills and knowledge required for modern and effective public debt management. Programme participants were selected on a highly competitive basis by a panel, which comprised a representative from the ECCB, IMF and the debt

manager of the country from which the candidate was being recruited. The countries represented were: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines. The offer was also extended to member states to nominate existing staff from the Debt Management Offices (DMOs) for specific modules. The ECCB staff also participated in selected modules. The officers received training in the technical areas of debt management and in developing soft skills such as communication, presentation and writing techniques. In addition to the classrooms style training, the junior debt managers benefitted from a study tour to Ireland and Italy which exposed them to advanced debt management practices. The experiencewas alsomeant to inspire their future work as well as build a channel of communication and cooperation with the DMOs at the forefront of public debt management. They also received hands-on exposure to debt management during a two-week attachment at the DMOs in their respective countries.