An agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment & Commerce, the JBDC is Jamaica’s premier business development organisation working collaboratively with government, private sector, as well as, academic, research and international communities.

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEBRUARY 23, 2022

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Stock brokerage company Barita, made its debut appearance at the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) Biz Zone webinar on Tuesday, February 22, 2022 as a partner in the finale of the ‘Access to Finance Series’.  Presenting on the topic, ‘Investing in Youth Entrepreneurship and Wealth Creation’, Barita urged participants to make saving and investment a key part of their business strategy.

Anna Leah Reid, Programme Manager at Barita Foundation told entrepreneurs that saving and investing allows them to be prepared for a rainy day.  “Saving and investing means you have something to fall back on. With smart saving and investment decisions, you can even buy out your investors or start another business,” she said.

In demystifying investment as a wealth creation tool, Ms. Reid addressed areas including: investment products, why and how to invest, entrepreneurial framework and tips and combining investment and entrepreneurship. Ms. Reid also took time to address commonly asked questions such as: What are stocks and bonds? What is inflation? What are unit trusts? 

Ms. Reid encouraged entrepreneurs to seek out investment knowledge, pointing out that “when an entrepreneur goes out and does their business and makes their money, they need to ensure that they are also investing in the right and proper ways.” She also encouraged participants to visit the Barita and Jamaica Stock Exchange websites as resources for learning more about investing. 

Emphasising the importance of getting into investment from a young age, Ms. Reid particularly implored youth entrepreneurs to do this. “If you are under age of 35, you must have a stock account because if you don’t you are missing out on an opportunity to aggressively build your portfolio,” she added.

Continuing, she added “youth entrepreneurs need to save and invest because it is a healthy habit. Getting involved in investment gives a better understanding of yields and returns and helps you to learn about managing your money.”

The Barita Foundation (formerly known as Barita Education Foundation) has been around for over 20 years with the deliberate focus on Early Childhood Education within the underserved communities in Jamaica. The programme then, focused on Literacy, Numeracy, Parental Support and Awareness as well as training of teachers and student assessments.

These programmes were very successful and have laid the groundwork for further growth. Barita Foundation has recently widened its’ scope to include other initiatives such as Youth Development, Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy.

The JBDC Virtual Biz Zone webinars are geared toward stimulating entrepreneurs within the Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (MSME) sector. These sessions are held every Tuesday at 10:00am via Zoom.  Interested persons are encouraged to join by registering at www.jbdc.net. The sessions can also be watched on JBDC’s YouTube channel.

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Author

Corporate Communications