This article covers India's development partnership with Nauru and economic cooperation between the two countries: grant-funded projects, support during the COVID-19 pandemic, health cooperation including Jan Aushadhi medicines, solar electrification, trade figures and phosphate cooperation. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) brief of July 2026.

How India's assistance is delivered

According to the MEA brief of July 2026, India's development assistance to Nauru focuses on capacity building, infrastructure creation, climate change mitigation, training and health. It is delivered through three channels: the bilateral Grant-in-Aid programme, regional initiatives such as the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), and the India-UN Development Partnership Fund (India-UNDPF).

Grant projects

The projects listed in the brief include:

  • hiring of teachers for the Government of Nauru in its programme PRAN, through the PIF Secretariat (2007-08)
  • construction of an apartment for Government expatriate employees (2010-2011)
  • a grant for the conversion of Menen Hotel rooms into self-contained units for expatriates
  • construction of a Sea Wall (2015-16)
  • procurement of Mahindra vehicles for the Parliament of Nauru (2017)
  • uniforms for the Nauru Police (2017-2018)
  • provision of 22 Mahindra SUVs (2018-2019)

Indian doctors also conducted a Disability Awareness Campaign in Nauru in 2017. During his official visit in December 2022, Minister of State Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh inaugurated the Waste Management Unit at RON Hospital and visited other projects funded by India, including the Sea Wall project.

Support during the COVID-19 pandemic

India provided US$ 1 million to support Nauru's response to COVID-19 through the India-UN Development Partnership Fund. The package included a Hospital Waste Management Unit, which the brief describes as the first of its kind in the Pacific region, a mobile Mortuary Unit, six Dialysis machines and COVID-19 supplies.

India also supplied vaccines:

  • 10,000 doses of Made in India Covishield (AstraZeneca) on 8 April 2021, which the brief says helped Nauru vaccinate most of its adult population
  • 7,000 more Made in India COVID vaccines on 25 August 2022
  • 8,000 Made in India COVOVAX vaccines on 13 April 2023, at the request of the Government of Nauru

Health cooperation

The Government of India gifted anti-Tuberculosis medicines to Nauru in January 2022, and one dialysis unit was installed at RON Hospital in 2025.

At the FIPIC Summit in May 2023, the Prime Minister announced that Jan Aushadhi Centres would be brought to FIPIC countries. An MoU on recognition of Indian Pharmacopoeia was signed with Nauru in September 2024. M/s HLL Lifecare Ltd. has signed an MoU with Nauru for the supply of Janaushadhi medicines, and Nauru's Minister of Health met its representatives during her visit to India in July 2025. In June 2026, India supplied more than 6 tonnes of Jan Aushadhi medicines and medical supplies to Nauru under healthcare cooperation.

Solar electrification

As part of a solar electrification project in the Pacific Island Countries, the Barefoot College, Tilonia provided Solar Home Lighting Systems and Livelihood Materials, with MEA's assistance, to 200 houses in Nauru among others. Four "solar mamas" from Nauru had earlier been trained at the Barefoot College in Rajasthan. The project was completed in May 2025.

Trade

The brief gives the following trade figures, in USD millions, from the Department of Commerce, Government of India:

  • 2025-26: exports 0.01, imports 1.81, total trade 1.82
  • 2024-25: exports 0.04, imports 0.06, total trade 0.10
  • 2023-24: exports 0.09, imports 0.00, total trade 0.09
  • 2022-23: exports 0.30, imports 0.03, total trade 0.33
  • 2021-22: exports 0.31, imports 23.28, total trade 23.6
  • 2020-21: exports 0.10, imports 0.05, total trade 0.15

Phosphate cooperation

The brief states that Nauru was traditionally a major supplier of phosphate to India, with investment in Paradeep Phosphates Ltd. (incorporated in 1981), a joint venture between the Governments of India and Nauru. The shares have since been divested. The two countries have a Joint Working Group for cooperation in phosphate exploration, led by the Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, on the Indian side and RONPHOS on the Nauru side. Its first meeting was held virtually on 14 June 2023.