President Prabowo Receives Bill Gates at Merdeka Palace to Discuss Sustainable Development
Jakarta (DMS) – President Prabowo Subianto received a visit from Microsoft founder and global philanthropist Bill Gates at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday morning (7/5) at 08.15 Western Indonesian Time.
Upon arriving at the palace forecourt, Gates was greeted by President Prabowo with a warm handshake before the pair entered the credentials room. The meeting began with an informal chat and a photo session, before continuing in the President's office.
Several Red and White Cabinet ministers accompanied the President during the meeting, including Investment and Downstream Industries Minister/BKPM Head Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid, and Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono.
Deputy for Protocol, Press and Media at the Presidential Secretariat, Yusuf Permana, said the meeting covered various sustainable development initiatives, particularly in the fields of global health, nutrition, financial inclusion, and strengthening public digital infrastructure.
"The meeting focused on cooperation in sustainable development efforts across various strategic sectors," said Yusuf Permana in Jakarta.
Gates continued his visit to Jakarta after previously travelling to Singapore to review various sustainable development programmes supported by his philanthropic foundation.
Bill Gates is widely known as the founder of Microsoft, which revolutionised the computing world from the 1970s to the 1980s. He was recorded as the youngest billionaire in history at the age of 31 in 1987. According to the Forbes list of May 2025, Gates ranked 13th among the world's wealthiest individuals, with an estimated fortune of approximately 113 billion US dollars.
Since stepping down from the Microsoft board in 2014, Gates has been more active in philanthropy and developing innovations that support global sustainability.
Bill Gates's visit had been disclosed by President Prabowo during a plenary cabinet session at the State Palace on Monday (5/5). "On 7 May, world figure Bill Gates will come and meet me. He has been requesting a meeting for a long time, since November last year. One of the agenda items is to convey support and appreciation for our free nutritious meals programme," Prabowo said during the session.
Prabowo added that he did not yet know the precise form of support or recognition Gates would offer, but affirmed that the free nutritious meals programme would continue regardless of whether it received international backing.
"He wants to help us, but whatever form it takes, I have said that we will continue implementing this programme because we believe it is an investment in the future of Indonesia's children," Prabowo said.
Upon arriving at the palace forecourt, Gates was greeted by President Prabowo with a warm handshake before the pair entered the credentials room. The meeting began with an informal chat and a photo session, before continuing in the President's office.
Several Red and White Cabinet ministers accompanied the President during the meeting, including Investment and Downstream Industries Minister/BKPM Head Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Communications and Digital Minister Meutya Hafid, and Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono.
Deputy for Protocol, Press and Media at the Presidential Secretariat, Yusuf Permana, said the meeting covered various sustainable development initiatives, particularly in the fields of global health, nutrition, financial inclusion, and strengthening public digital infrastructure.
"The meeting focused on cooperation in sustainable development efforts across various strategic sectors," said Yusuf Permana in Jakarta.
Gates continued his visit to Jakarta after previously travelling to Singapore to review various sustainable development programmes supported by his philanthropic foundation.
Bill Gates is widely known as the founder of Microsoft, which revolutionised the computing world from the 1970s to the 1980s. He was recorded as the youngest billionaire in history at the age of 31 in 1987. According to the Forbes list of May 2025, Gates ranked 13th among the world's wealthiest individuals, with an estimated fortune of approximately 113 billion US dollars.
Since stepping down from the Microsoft board in 2014, Gates has been more active in philanthropy and developing innovations that support global sustainability.
Bill Gates's visit had been disclosed by President Prabowo during a plenary cabinet session at the State Palace on Monday (5/5). "On 7 May, world figure Bill Gates will come and meet me. He has been requesting a meeting for a long time, since November last year. One of the agenda items is to convey support and appreciation for our free nutritious meals programme," Prabowo said during the session.
Prabowo added that he did not yet know the precise form of support or recognition Gates would offer, but affirmed that the free nutritious meals programme would continue regardless of whether it received international backing.
"He wants to help us, but whatever form it takes, I have said that we will continue implementing this programme because we believe it is an investment in the future of Indonesia's children," Prabowo said.