Bill Gates, Co-founder of Microsoft and Co-chair of the Gates Foundation, met with President Prabowo Subianto at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, discussing a number of sustainable development initiatives.

"Both President Prabowo Subianto and Bill Gates discuss a number of issues, particularly on global health, nutrition, financial inclusion, and public digital infrastructure," Deputy for Protocol, Press, and Media at the Presidential Secretariat, Yusuf Permana, said as quoted in a statement on Wednesday.

Previously, President Prabowo Subianto said that Bill Gates came to provide support for the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program. He said that the letter requesting his visit had been received since November.

"One of the goals is to express support and appreciation for our nutritious meal program," Prabowo said while presiding a plenary Cabinet session on Monday, May 5, 2025.

Before going to Indonesia, Bill Gates, visited Singapore to attend the Philanthropy Asia Summit on May 5 and 6, 2025 as well as open a branch office for the Gates Foundation in Singapore.

In the meeting with President Prabowo, Bill Gates emphasized global health progress and future challenges.

“We mostly work on health issues,” Gates told the Indonesian president. “When I saw that my ownership of Microsoft would be very valuable, I had to ask what could I do that would have high impact.”

On the same occasion, Gates noted significant reduction in child mortality since 2000.

“The number of children who died under 5 has been cut in half. It’s now below 5 million,” he said, while attributing the progress to increased access to vaccines and healthcare innovations supported by his foundation and its partners.

He praised Indonesia for adopting new vaccines such as rotavirus, pneumococcus, and HPV, and highlighted the role of Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin on the board of GAVI, the global vaccine alliance. “Minister Budi got to know GAVI well during the pandemic,” Gates said, pointing to a strong ongoing relationship.

He also revealed the foundation’s support for tuberculosis vaccine trials, including two test sites in Indonesia. “TB is a great example of a disease that, because rich countries don’t have it, gets very little funding. That’s one of our big focuses.”

Beyond infectious diseases, Gates discussed efforts in combating malnutrition with new maternal supplements and iron infusion treatments. He emphasized Indonesia’s leadership in adopting these tools.

On agriculture, Gates noted that “many of the lowest income people in the world are farmers,” highlighting work on improving crop yields, livestock productivity, and soil quality in partnership with local institutions.

He stressed the importance of philanthropy as a complement to government and business efforts, referencing collaborations with Indonesian philanthropists including Dr. Tahir and the Tahija Foundation. “Philanthropy can be a lot of fun. It can be very high impact,” he said.

Gates expressed optimism about the future, citing artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformative force. “AI is going to help us discover new tools… in health, education, and agriculture,” he said, adding that the Foundation will continue supporting innovations globally.

Despite global challenges, including reduced aid budgets due to conflicts like the war in Ukraine, Gates remained hopeful: “If we take a longer time frame… we can finish polio… and eradicate measles and malaria as well.”

Collaboration with Gates Foundation

Indonesia will allocate up to $1 billion over the next five to six years to a newly established Dantara Trust Fund, a strategic arm of the Daya Anagata Nusantara investment management agency (BPI Danantara), with potential collaborations planned alongside the Gates Foundation, according to Minister of Investment Rosan P. Roeslani.

Speaking at a forum attended by Bill Gates, Rosan cited that the Dantara Trust Fund, initiated under presidential directive, aims to annually allocate a minimum of US$100 million − equal to approximately 2.5 percent of Dantara’s dividend payout. The fund will focus on sectors such as education, health, sanitation, and poverty alleviation.

“There’s a potential collaboration with the Gates Foundation because we are looking also in the same line of industries,” Rosan said. “We look forward to get your feedback also on this.”

Meanwhile, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin added that Indonesia sees an untapped potential of US$30 billion annually in philanthropic funding based on its GDP, but lacks a trusted domestic entity to manage such funds. He cited experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, where Indonesian donors routed grants through foreign institutions due to trust issues.

“We don't have a trusted entity, because trust cannot be forced − it has to be earned,” Sadikin said.

He proposed creating a Tanantama Trust modeled after Singapore’s Temasek Trust, and invited Bill Gates and Ray Dalio to join its board. “Pak Gates has a systematic management that can help us earn the trust,” he added.

Both Rosan and Sadikin emphasized that building a credible philanthropic infrastructure could unlock billions in domestic and international contributions for Indonesia’s social and health development goals.

Upon completion of the forum, Bill Gates and President Prabowo went for a tour to the SDN Jati 3 State elementary school in East Jakarta to witness the implementation of the MBG program.