They typically have very concentrated economic structures, rely heavily on primary production for income and jobs, and face daunting challenges to integrate global markets. While LDCs’ share of world exports has increased over the past decade, it has barely crossed the 1 per cent level - a stark testimony to their state of marginalisation in world trade. Moreover, LDCs export to just a few countries, and are consequently vulnerable to external shocks. African LDCs have led the pack, with real gross domestic product (GDP) growth averaging 10.3 per cent in Ethiopia, 8.2 per cent in Rwanda and 7.2 per cent in Chad over the period 2008-10.