Toroama revealed that his government will be looking to establish a small pool of funds to provide individuals or youth groups with small start-up grants to boost SMEs.

He said that opportunities for changing Bougainville are limitless but significant headway cannot be made until the economy improves.

The president encouraged young Bougainvilleans to use their innovative ability to find solutions to problems at all levels of society.

“Some leadership skills can be learnt in the classroom but most leadership skill is acquired in the school of hard knocks or what I call the University of Life,” Toroama said.

While encouraging economic growth in Bougainville, President Toroama’s focus on youth is also designed to establish control, law and order and promote good governance.

“My challenge to the youth of Bougainville is to find a way of addressing the transfer of leadership skills and experience to the next generation of youth leaders,” he said.