Since the “Great Recession”, a two-fold challenge has confronted many low-income countries. First, they had to find ways to curb and counteract the fall in domestic demand in their economies; and, second, they had to continue laying the basis for a more secure and sustainable path of growth, development and poverty reduction through structural transformation and diversification of their economies. Indeed, despite relatively high growth rates in a number of low-income countries in the period preceding the onset of the combined food, fuel and global financial crises, these economies often remain characterised by poorly developed productive capacities and insufficient diversification into activities that can absorb fast-growing populations into productive employment.