President Prabowo Welcomes Bill Gates at Merdeka Palace to Discuss Sustainable Development
JAKARTA — President Prabowo Subianto welcomed the arrival of Microsoft founder and global philanthropic figure Bill Gates at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday 7 May morning at 08.15 Western Indonesian Time.
In the courtyard of the Merdeka Palace, the President and Bill Gates shook hands before the President invited Gates into the credential room. The two chatted, interspersed with a photo session, after which the President invited Bill Gates into the presidential office.
Several ministers of the Red and White Cabinet were seen accompanying President Prabowo and Bill Gates. Those present included Minister of Investment and Downstreaming/Head of BKPM Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono.
On a separate occasion, Deputy for Protocol, Press and Media of the Presidential Secretariat Yusuf Permana told reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday that President Prabowo and Bill Gates were scheduled to discuss a number of issues, including sustainable development.
"President Prabowo and Bill Gates are scheduled to hold a meeting at the Merdeka Palace to discuss a number of sustainable development initiatives, particularly on global health issues, nutrition, financial inclusion, and public digital infrastructure," said Yusuf Permana.
Bill Gates, who is currently engaged in philanthropic work, continued his journey to Jakarta after visiting Singapore, where his philanthropic foundation directly inspected several sustainable development initiatives.
William Henry Gates III, known as Bill Gates, is the co-founder of Microsoft, the well-known American software company that created a micro-computer revolution in the 1970s and 1980s. Gates became widely known as the first billionaire in 1987, at the age of 31. Forbes' list of the world's richest people in May 2025 placed Bill Gates in 13th position with a net worth of 113 billion US dollars. Gates departed from Microsoft's management in 2014 and has since been more involved in philanthropy and efforts supporting innovation and sustainability.
President Prabowo first revealed Gates' visit during a Plenary Cabinet Session at the Presidential Office, Jakarta, on Monday 5 May. "On 7 May, the day after tomorrow, a world leader named Bill Gates will come here. He has been asking to meet me for a long time. His letter came in November, if I'm not mistaken. He asked to meet, among other things, to express support and appreciation for our nutritious meal programme," President Prabowo told the ministers of the Red and White Cabinet.
Prabowo added that he did not know the form of appreciation Bill Gates intended to offer. However, he stressed that the free nutritious meal programme (MBG) would continue regardless of whether the government received assistance or awards. "In fact, he wants to help us. I don't know what form. I simply said that whether we are given help or not, given awards or not, we are doing this because we believe it is right and it is an investment in our children," President Prabowo continued.
In the courtyard of the Merdeka Palace, the President and Bill Gates shook hands before the President invited Gates into the credential room. The two chatted, interspersed with a photo session, after which the President invited Bill Gates into the presidential office.
Several ministers of the Red and White Cabinet were seen accompanying President Prabowo and Bill Gates. Those present included Minister of Investment and Downstreaming/Head of BKPM Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister of Communications and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono.
On a separate occasion, Deputy for Protocol, Press and Media of the Presidential Secretariat Yusuf Permana told reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday that President Prabowo and Bill Gates were scheduled to discuss a number of issues, including sustainable development.
"President Prabowo and Bill Gates are scheduled to hold a meeting at the Merdeka Palace to discuss a number of sustainable development initiatives, particularly on global health issues, nutrition, financial inclusion, and public digital infrastructure," said Yusuf Permana.
Bill Gates, who is currently engaged in philanthropic work, continued his journey to Jakarta after visiting Singapore, where his philanthropic foundation directly inspected several sustainable development initiatives.
William Henry Gates III, known as Bill Gates, is the co-founder of Microsoft, the well-known American software company that created a micro-computer revolution in the 1970s and 1980s. Gates became widely known as the first billionaire in 1987, at the age of 31. Forbes' list of the world's richest people in May 2025 placed Bill Gates in 13th position with a net worth of 113 billion US dollars. Gates departed from Microsoft's management in 2014 and has since been more involved in philanthropy and efforts supporting innovation and sustainability.
President Prabowo first revealed Gates' visit during a Plenary Cabinet Session at the Presidential Office, Jakarta, on Monday 5 May. "On 7 May, the day after tomorrow, a world leader named Bill Gates will come here. He has been asking to meet me for a long time. His letter came in November, if I'm not mistaken. He asked to meet, among other things, to express support and appreciation for our nutritious meal programme," President Prabowo told the ministers of the Red and White Cabinet.
Prabowo added that he did not know the form of appreciation Bill Gates intended to offer. However, he stressed that the free nutritious meal programme (MBG) would continue regardless of whether the government received assistance or awards. "In fact, he wants to help us. I don't know what form. I simply said that whether we are given help or not, given awards or not, we are doing this because we believe it is right and it is an investment in our children," President Prabowo continued.