This article covers India's development partnership with Solomon Islands: grant-funded projects and gifts, humanitarian and health assistance, the Centre of Excellence in Information Technology, training under ITEC, the ICCR Chair in Economics, cooperation on health and solar energy, and bilateral trade. Its source is the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of July 2026.

Grant-funded projects

According to the MEA brief of July 2026, the Government of India (GOI) accorded approval for a Grant-in-aid proposal of SI$ 31,99,904 (equivalent Rs.2.98 crore approx.) for relocation of the Forestry Certificate program to Poitete Campus, Kolombangara, Western Province. Poitete Campus Forestry Training in Western Province was opened in 1988 with 18 students. It was relocated to Honiara Kukum Campus in 2007 due to non-availability of budget provisions by the provincial government.

The brief states that relocation of the Forestry Certificate Course to Poitete Campus will upgrade technical skills. As of July 2026, the Government of India has released the first two tranches (80% total) of the grant support.

In May 2023, under the India-UNDP Fund, GOI implemented a solarization project for the Government House in Honiara, which was completed at a cost of USD 1 million.

In December 2023, 20 TATA buses, valued at USD 1 million, were gifted by GOI to the Solomon Islands for the Pacific Games 2023. The brief describes this as India's largest bilateral assistance to the Solomon Islands.

Centre of Excellence in Information Technology

GOI established a Centre of Excellence in Information Technology (CEIT) at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU), operational since July 2023. Two experts from C-DAC were deputed as Centre Head and Trainer for a period of two years. In January 2026, the Centre was formally handed over to SINU upon completion of the project.

Humanitarian and health assistance

  • 2 April 2007: following the tsunami that struck the Solomon Islands, GOI provided USD 100,000 as relief and rehabilitation assistance for the affected population.
  • 21 June 2022: under a bilateral initiative, over 50,000 doses of COVISHIELD vaccines were handed over to the Minister of Health and Medical Services at Honiara International Airport.
  • June 2022: 60 kg of lentil seeds for commercial farming were gifted to the Government of the Solomon Islands.
  • July 2022: GOI donated COVID-19 medicines worth USD 250,000, including antiviral and antibacterial drugs, vitamin supplements, medicines for diarrhoea, asthma, anaemia and scabies, as well as PPE and face masks.
  • 26 February 2025: a dialysis machine, a FIPIC-III deliverable from GOI, was gifted to the National Referral Hospital (NRH).

Health cooperation

On 24 April 2023, Dr. Culwick Togamana, Minister for Health, and Mr. Albino Bobogare, Director of the Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, Ministry of Health, visited New Delhi to participate in the Asia-Pacific Leaders' Conclave on Malaria Elimination.

On 9 August 2024, an MoU on Pharmacopeial Cooperation was signed between the two countries. On 3 July 2025, India and the Solomon Islands signed an MoU on cooperation in the fields of health and medicine in New Delhi.

Solar energy

The Solomon Islands has participated in sessions of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Assembly in New Delhi. Its delegation to the Sixth Session of the ISA Assembly, held on 31 October 2023 in New Delhi, was led by Hon. Bradley Tovosia, Minister of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification. The delegation to the 8th General Assembly of the ISA, held in New Delhi from 27 to 30 October 2025, was led by Hon. Derick Rawcliff Manuari, Minister of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification.

Training under ITEC

India has been offering assistance to the Solomon Islands in capacity building by allocating 05 training slots per annum in diverse fields under the Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme. According to the brief, the slots were not fully utilised in past years, but in 2019-20 they were fully utilised.

Due to non-availing of training slots, the allocation has been reduced to 02 since 2020-21. During 2024-25, only one slot was utilised, while during 2025-26 both slots were utilised.

ICCR Chair in Economics

In June 2023, the two sides signed an MoU for the establishment of an ICCR Chair in Economics at SINU. The brief states that it is aimed at facilitating the engagement of Indian professors and contributing to capacity building and nation-building in the Solomon Islands. Pursuant to this, Dr. Kapila Mallah, Professor, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, joined SINU as Visiting Professor in Economics on 27 May 2025.

Bilateral trade

The brief gives the following bilateral trade figures, in US$ million, from the Department of Commerce, GOI:

  • 2019-20: India's exports 2.04, India's imports 38.97, total trade 41.01
  • 2020-21: India's exports 1.65, India's imports 33.86, total trade 35.51
  • 2021-22: India's exports 1.85, India's imports 25.93, total trade 27.78
  • 2022-23: India's exports 2.69, India's imports 33.09, total trade 35.78
  • 2023-24: India's exports 2.99, India's imports 6.17, total trade 9.16
  • 2024-25: India's exports 2.56, India's imports 13.56, total trade 16.12
  • 2025-26: India's exports 4.15, India's imports 0.02, total trade 4.17

India primarily imports wood and articles of wood, and wood charcoal (HS-44), from the Solomon Islands. India's exports to the Solomon Islands are primarily drugs & pharmaceuticals (HS-30). The brief gives no information on investment in either direction.