From Third World To First :The Singapore Story

Leadership imbued in the personality of Lee Kuan Yew was critical to the transformation of the then island backwater state of Singapore to a regional powerhouse."From Third World To First" is his account of this journey. "...Few gave tiny Singapore much chance of survival when it was granted independence in 1965. How is it, then, that today the former British colonial trading post is a thriving Asian metropolis with not only the world's number one airline, best airport, and busiest port of trade, but also the world's fourth-highest per capita real income?...",HarperCollins.
What lessons does this hold for the Liberia's, Malawi's and Senegal's of this world? Countries comparatively with much more than Singapore ever had in terms of raw material and human resources.