KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness is encouraging Jamaicans to buy shares in public companies.

He was speaking yesterday at the 50

^th

anniversary of the Jamaica Stock Exchange Regional Investments & Capital Markets Conference at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel.

Alluding to energy company Wigton Wind Farms, Holness said the Government has been careful in crafting its placement on the market and encourages all to own a part of the company by owning shares.

“I am encouraging Jamaicans to buy shares in these public companies when they are placed on the Stock Exchange so that they can own some of these assets and share in the capital gains and in the profits of these assets when these companies are listed,” he said.

The prime minister further emphasised that the Government’s intention is to ensure that shares are broadly held and that the average Jamaican can participate in buying stocks.

In that regard, he implored all Jamaicans to participate and support the new Social Enterprise Stock Market, which the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) launched last night.

The social enterprise market is an additional market under JSE and will join the main market, the junior market and the US dollar market which are trading stock daily.

“I’m certain that the agency for Inner-city Renewal, AIR, Alpha School of Music, Choose Life International, DeafCan Coffee and Praise Jamaica, these are the five companies which you could describe them as social enterprises that have been vetted  by the Jamaica Stock Exchange, approved to be listed; that these companies    are good entities which [you can] put your philanthropic giving and I endorse this. I encourage all Jamaicans to participate by giving to these companies,” said Holness.

The Jamaica Stock Exchange Investments and Capital Markets Conference is being held under the theme “Expanding our borders: securing our future” and comes to an end on Thursday.