Bill Gates Discusses Indonesia Health, Hears Danantara Appeals

(Bloomberg) -- Bill Gates discussed plans for public health initiatives in Indonesia and heard pitches for collaboration with the country’s new sovereign wealth fund as the billionaire seeks to expand philanthropic activity in Asia.

Gates, speaking at a gathering in Jakarta on Wednesday with President Prabowo Subianto, government officials and several billionaires, said the Gates Foundation aimed to roll out new anemia medication and new tuberculosis vaccines in the coming years in Indonesia, the world’s fourth-most populous nation. 

“A lot still to be done in health, but the innovation pipeline is strong,” he added. 

Officials at the meeting appealed for possible collaboration between Gates and Danantara, a sovereign wealth fund that launched earlier this year as part of Prabowo’s aims to boost growth in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

Chief Executive Rosan Roeslani said Danantara would set up a trust fund that could potentially work with the Gates Foundation in areas ranging from education and health to poverty alleviation. He said Danantara would put up to $1 billion into the fund over the next five or six years.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin appealed to Gates to consider becoming part of Danantara’s board, saying the Microsoft Corp. co-founder’s systematic management could help the entity earn the trust of local philanthropists.

Hashim Djojohadikusumo, the president’s younger brother and a government adviser on climate, energy and environment, asked Gates about nuclear energy, saying Indonesia was moving toward setting up nuclear plants for power generation.

“There’s a lot countries really need nuclear energy,” Gates said, adding that his goals in developing nuclear reactors in partnership with South Korean companies include making new designs safe and keeping costs low. 

Gates and Prabowo later visited a Jakarta elementary school where children received free lunches as part of a national program being rolled out by the Prabowo administration. The government has allocated 171 trillion rupiah ($10.4 billion) in funds to the program this year, which aims to reach more than 80 million beneficiaries across the country.

The meeting comes after Gates earlier this week announced plans to open a Gates Foundation regional office in Singapore. The foundation also signed a pact with the Tanoto Foundation, established by Indonesian tycoon Sukanto Tanoto, to cooperate on programs related to health care, nutrition and education in Asia.

(Recasts, adds discussion about Danantara and nuclear power)

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