Prabowo Tells US Business Leaders About Free Nutritious Meals Programme and Commitment to Combat Corruption
Jakarta — President Prabowo Subianto attended a Business Forum with the US Chamber of Commerce during his visit to Washington D.C., United States, on Wednesday, 18 February 2026 local time.
Before the assembled American business leaders, Prabowo outlined a range of priority programmes under his administration, from the Free Nutritious Meals programme (MBG), the establishment of the Danantara sovereign wealth fund, to his commitment to eradicating corruption and improving governance.
Prabowo emphasised that his government is focused on delivering tangible benefits for the people whilst simultaneously creating a stable and trustworthy investment climate.
“We have undertaken large-scale projects designed to address the problem of many of our children facing hunger and malnutrition. I am running the Free Nutritious Meals programme, which I essentially learnt from the American and European experience,” Prabowo said.
“I understand that this is a real part of the democratisation process. Genuine democracy must deliver benefits that are directly felt by the public through education and health services,” he continued.
Prabowo also explained that the MBG programme has an impact beyond merely fulfilling children’s nutritional needs — it also drives economic growth.
“We now have 23,000 kitchens, each employing 50 people in villages. Mothers who previously had no income now have an income. The programme also creates demand in every village for eggs, chicken, vegetables and tomatoes, giving surrounding farmers a guaranteed market. This produces a multiplier effect that creates a kind of economic boom from the ground up,” he said.
Beyond the MBG programme, Prabowo also introduced the establishment of the Danantara sovereign wealth fund as part of the national industrial downstreaming strategy.
“We have just established a new sovereign wealth fund called Danantara. All state-owned assets have been consolidated into this investment management body to drive industrial downstreaming,” he said.
Prabowo openly acknowledged the serious challenges in governance, including corruption and illegal economic activities. At the same time, he affirmed his commitment to confront and eradicate them directly.
“We have governance problems, corruption, and institutional weaknesses. There is widespread smuggling. There are many illegal economic activities such as illegal mining, illegal fishing, and illegal plantations in protected forests. These are long-standing problems, but I have chosen to confront them head-on,” Prabowo concluded.