Bill Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation, is scheduled to meet Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on May 7, 2025, during his visit to the country. While the exact agenda remains under wraps, the meeting underscores growing collaboration between Indonesia and the Foundation, particularly in the health and nutrition sectors.
President Prabowo confirmed the upcoming visit on May 4, stating that discussions will center on potential support for Indonesia’s ambitious social programs, especially the government’s nationwide free school meal initiative. However, the president noted that no firm commitments have yet been made.
Despite the lack of specifics, Gates’ visit signals strong solidarity with Indonesia’s new administration. It also continues a decade-long pattern of health-related investments by the Gates Foundation in the country.
Building on a Decade of Health Investments
The Gates Foundation has played a strategic role in Indonesia’s health development for over ten years. In 2013, Gates partnered with the Tahir Foundation, matching a $75 million commitment to fund health access and family planning initiatives. This included $65 million directed toward the Global Fund and $10 million earmarked for reproductive health programs.
That effort expanded in 2014, when the Foundation matched $40 million from Indonesian business leaders to launch the Indonesia Health Fund. The fund tackled major health issues, including AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, and supported millions through initiatives such as tuberculosis treatments and the distribution of nearly 9 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
What distinguishes the Foundation’s strategy in Indonesia is its strong reliance on public-private partnerships. Gates has previously collaborated with eight prominent Indonesian entrepreneurs, each contributing $5 million to joint health ventures.
Now, with President Prabowo in office, there are fresh opportunities for collaboration—especially around large-scale public health and nutrition programs.
Gates Foundation May Align with School Meal Program
The free school meal program, one of Prabowo’s signature policy initiatives, aims to combat Indonesia’s worsening malnutrition crisis. The project targets 83 million children and carries a projected $28 billion price tag. The government hopes to feed 17 million children by the end of 2025, making it one of the largest school feeding programs in the world.
The need is urgent. The 2023 Indonesian Health Survey revealed a “triple burden of malnutrition”: 19.7% of primary school children are overweight or obese, while 11% remain underweight. The school meal initiative seeks to address both overnutrition and undernutrition across diverse regions.
However, implementation challenges have already emerged. A food poisoning outbreak in Cianjur affected nearly 80 students, raising red flags about food safety, logistics, and monitoring. As a result, the program could benefit from external expertise in scaling, quality control, and evidence-based implementation.
That’s where the Gates Foundation’s experience could play a vital role. With its track record in public health delivery and strategic partnerships, the Foundation is uniquely positioned to help Indonesia navigate the complexities of large-scale program management.
Moreover, Gates’ visit comes as the Foundation is expanding its Southeast Asia footprint, recently opening a new regional office in Singapore. The office will serve as a hub for operations across Asia, focusing on areas such as healthcare innovation, AI, and fintech—all key priorities for Indonesia’s development roadmap.
The Foundation’s 2025 budget stands at $8.74 billion, offering ample resources to support meaningful programs in the region. Gates’ personal engagement with President Prabowo suggests Indonesia could become a focal point of the Foundation’s Southeast Asian strategy.
As Indonesia pushes forward with bold initiatives to improve child health and education, the Gates-Prabowo meeting could mark the beginning of a transformative partnership—merging local ambition with global expertise to drive real-world impact.
