Prominent business leaders have challenged PNG’s youth to get back to basics and build from the ground up as the Youth Resource Week got underway yesterday. TWL Group Managing Director, Larry Andagali, told a small crowd that the basics are important as they set the foundations for growth in any venture. “Get the basics right...waking up early, spending the right time, managing your resources, respecting the elders.” Larry Andagali has been instrumental in the development of a strategic vision that is seeing TWL grow into a corporate powerhouse in Papua New Guinea. In the early days, he developed a shareholder model that has allowed landowning clans in the Southern Highlands, Hela, and Gulf to be owners of TWL. But Andagali’s vision has always been rooted in basic principles of personal discipline, honesty, and respect. Papua New Guinea’s youth face significant hurdles, including limited access to quality education, high unemployment rates, and inadequate healthcare services. These challenges are compounded by the country’s rapid population growth, with nearly 60% of its citizens under the age of 25. Many young people struggle to find meaningful opportunities to contribute to their communities, often feeling excluded from decision-making processes. Youth Resource Week has is designed as a platform to have youth engage with private sector in government. Douveri Henao, founder and CEO of Legacy Group, spoke about the need to be able to evolve and adjust as one progresses through stages of life. Henao spoke of his experiences learning from his failures and seizing opportunities. “Many of you are still trying to identify, where do I grow? Where do I contribute? Where do I advance? Where do I prosper? How do I actually make myself productive? So that particular season that you're in right now is the greatest challenge that someone like me is trying to fix. How do we make you productive? In other words, how do we make you contribute so that you have a meaningful life here?” Over 20,000 people are expected to come through the gates at the Sir John Guise stadium over the next five days.