ISLAMABAD, Oct 31 (APP/DNA):Pakistani scientist and international science leader, Prof. Dr. Manzoor Hussain Soomro called for AI-driven industrial transformation to accelerate sustainable growth across the developing world.He was addressing the World Science and Technology Development Forum (WSTDF-2025) in Beijing, China.
Delivering his keynote presentation on “AI-Driven Industrial Transformation in the Developing World,” Prof. Soomro highlighted that while economic development remains a global priority, the essence of development — the welfare of people — is often lost in the pursuit of wealth accumulation.
He noted that although all UN member countries are committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, many developing nations still lag behind due to fragmented ecosystems, infrastructure deficits, and limited institutional coordination.
Referring to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Prof. Soomro said that over the past 12 years, the BRI has generated strong momentum for economic cooperation through infrastructure-led growth across more than 150 countries.
He emphasized that the BRI holds tremendous potential for trade and industrial advancement, provided developing countries adopt innovative and digital technologies, especially artificial intelligence (AI), to enhance productivity and sustainability.
“There is a dire need to develop conducive ecosystems by combining STEM education — particularly engineering as the engine of growth — with sound policy frameworks, financing, and operations,” Prof. Soomro said. “AI-driven transformation without adequate human resource development and institutional readiness will not sustain industrial growth.”
He proposed that BRI member countries, including Pakistan, develop comprehensive ecosystems integrating policy support, STEM education from the primary level, vocational training, research collaboration, and cross-border partnerships. Such frameworks, he said, would help build a technologically skilled workforce capable of leading innovation and supporting sustainable industrialization.
Prof. Soomro’s presentation received wide acclaim from the international scientific community attending the forum.
The WSTDF-2025, organized by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and supported by the International Science Council (ISC), was held under the theme “AI for Science and Development (AI4SD)”.
The three-day event featured sessions on AI and Future Industries, Green Technologies for Transforming Traditional Industries, One Health Paradigm Enabled by Medical-Engineering Integration, and Open Science and Global Collaboration.
Prof. Soomro, a former Chairman of the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) under the Ministry of Science and Technology, currently serves as Advisor and Founding President of the ECO Science Foundation (ECOSF) — an intergovernmental organization of 10 countries based in Islamabad.
He also holds prestigious international positions, including Vice President of the Belt and Road International Science Education Consortium (BRISEC) and Honorary Professor at the China Agricultural University (CAU) and Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU).
Recipient of the French Republic’s Order of Academic Palms (2013) and the Chinese Government Friendship Award (2020), Prof. Soomro is renowned for his pioneering research in plant pathology, notably the diagnosis and management of the Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) epidemic that had devastated Pakistan’s banana crop in the early 1990s.
Despite his global recognition and contributions to science and education, he has yet to be conferred with a National Civil Award by the Government of Pakistan — a fact noted with surprise by the scientific community.
