Angkas honcho pushes inclusive digital shift

GENEVA, Switzerland — Angkas founder and chief executive officer Angeline Tham highlighted the digital success of her company as she joined world and business leaders and experts at the 16th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Ministerial Roundtable held on 21 October at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

The session, “Making the Digital Economy Inclusive and Sustainable through Cooperation,” tackled how nations can work together to ensure that digital transformation benefits all and supports global sustainability.

Representing Southeast Asia and the Pacific as an UNCTAD eTrade for Women Advocate, Tham underscored the need to empower entrepreneurs from developing economies, saying that while digitalization opens new opportunities, it also intensifies competition.

“Governments and international institutions must support local entrepreneurs during their incubation phase — making business registration easier, ensuring fair taxation, and prioritizing local players in digital infrastructure and procurement policies,” Tham said.

“Without such guardrails, promising startups may never reach maturity,” she added.

Journey on motorcycle

Citing Angkas’ experience in improving the lives of thousands of motorcycle riders through digital inclusion, Tham emphasized that supporting local innovation fuels both economic growth and social progress.

“When we protect local innovators, we grow communities. The income that my bikers earn circulates locally — supporting families, education, and neighborhood economies,” she said. “This is how digital entrepreneurship creates lasting social impact.”

Tham also called for more substantial support for women entrepreneurs, pointing out that women-led enterprises tend to reinvest more in families and adopt sustainable practices.

“When women succeed, communities rise,” she said. “If we protect local innovators, change the mindset of what is possible, and champion women, then digitalization will truly become the engine of shared prosperity for our people and our planet.”

Angkas’s participation in the UNCTAD 16 Ministerial Roundtable reflects its continuing advocacy for inclusive digital growth, sustainable innovation, and the empowerment of grassroots entrepreneurship in the Philippines and beyond.