Nauru Defends Citizenship-by-Investment Programme Amid Pacific Economic Resilience Efforts

Nauru's citizenship-by-investment programme is facing scrutiny after New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters called for stronger local economies in the Pacific region.

In a statement, Nauru's Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program defended its scheme as a way to attract investment and strengthen the economy.

The programme allows wealthy families to gain citizenship by making a contribution to the country, with the government presenting it as a way to diversify geographically while contributing to a nation working to build greater economic and climate resilience.

Nauru's programme chief executive, Edward Clark, said that the scheme gives families another way to plan for an uncertain future while contributing to the island nation's development.

Clark noted that recent independent analysis from Professor Stephen Howes found Nauru's national income grew by an average 4.9 per cent per person between 2009 and 2024, with employment increasing sharply between the 2011 and 2021 censuses.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also recognised the potential for Nauru's citizenship programme to support economic diversification, while warning that the risks linked to the scheme need to be carefully assessed.