David Adeang
President of Nauru · 1969
Who is David Adeang?
David Ranibok Waiau Adeang was born on 24 November 1969 in the Yaren District of Nauru, the son of Kennan Adeang, who himself served three times as President. Trained as a lawyer, David Adeang first won parliamentary office in a December 2001 by-election for the Ubenide Constituency and went on to hold the finance, foreign affairs, and justice portfolios across multiple governments, as well as two terms as Speaker of Parliament in 2004 and 2008. As Foreign Minister in 2007 his outspoken statements on international affairs drew wide attention. He was a founding member of the Nauru First political party and held senior cabinet posts continuously from 2013 to 2023. Following a vote of no confidence against President Russ Kun, Parliament elected Adeang President of Nauru on 30 October 2023, a position he continues to hold, having been re-elected in October 2025. As President he has pressed the case for Nauru's controversial plan to pursue deep-sea mining of polymetallic nodules as a new source of national income, addressed the 2024 SIDS4 conference on the country's Higher Ground climate relocation initiative, and restored Nauru's diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.
Sources: David Adeang, national statement at SIDS4, Antigua and Barbuda (May 2024) · David Adeang, national statement to the 79th United Nations General Assembly (24 September 2024) · Wikipedia: David Adeang (biographical summary, retrieved 2026)