The Government of Japan provided approx. AUS$1,196,000.00 to the Republic of Nauru to continue assisting in its structural reform efforts in key economic sectors and US$176,418.00 to upgrade water supply system in the Northern and Eastern communities. The funding is sourced from the Government of Japan’s Non Project Grant Aid (NPGA) Program and Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) Programme respectively. 

Signing of the Exchange of Notes ceremony formalising these assistances was held at the Embassy of Japan’s conference room, Level 2 of Dominion House in Suva at 11.00 a.m. on Friday, 11th March 2011, where the Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Nauru, His Excellency, Mr. Yutaka Yoshizawa signed and exchanged Notes with Nauru’s High Commissioner to the Republic of Fiji, His Excellency, Mr. Jarden Kephas formalising Japan’s assistance under NPGA and GGP respectively.

Details of NPGA and GGP project are as follows:

Non Project Grant Aid (NPGA)
 Japan’s assistance has materialised from the request by the Government of the Republic of Nauru. The main purpose of Japan’s assistance of JPY 100 million (approx. AUS$1,196,000.00) is to ensure that Nauru further progresses with the planned structural reform programmes for sustainable economic growth and development with minimal impact on its budget allocated for procurement of necessary products, such as increasing cost of fuel imports for promoting economic structural adjustment efforts.

Project for Upgrading of Water Supply System in the Northern and Eastern Communities is funded under Japan’s GGP Program
As Nauru has very limited water resource in the island, most districts have some community brackish water wells to provide back-up for the rain water and desalinated water. In Northern and Eastern communities they have their own community brackish water wells.  However, the current condition of those wells are not very convenient for the community due to firstly, the effort required to collect the water, secondly, the limit of water they can collect at any one time, and finally, the way they collect water is not very safe especially for the children.  The government recognizes the importance of a good water supply system but due to financial constraints, it faced difficulties in installing necessary pumps to use those wells. Therefore, while acknowledging the difficulties faced by the people in Northern and Eastern communities, Japan has decided to provide US$176,418.00 for upgrading the water supply system by installing five solar pumps and five by 6,000 litre water tanks each in Northern and Eastern Communities to ease both community’s water woes.

Japan’s assistance to these projects indicates its commitment to improving the living standards and welfare of people of Nauru and is in line with its Official Development Assistance (ODA) policy of promoting development at the grassroots level.  The NPGA is an added milestone in Japan’s ongoing support and cooperation towards the development and prosperity of Nauru whilst the GGP programme is specifically designed to address basic human needs, which include water supply, health, basic education, vocational training and rural infrastructure. It is hoped that these assistances will help further strengthen the friendly ties between the governments and the people of Japan and the Republic of Nauru.