Developing countries escaping poverty is not unheard of and in fact a lot of the strongest economies now are ones that used to struggle before. China used to be called the sleeping giant because it was believed to be of potential. And that was right. But the question is why is it that those countries got out of poverty while some did not?
Most countries get out of poverty because they become productive by exportation instead of importation. This locally made goods are exported to other countries in return of dollars, thereby reducing poverty in such countries.
Yes, my country for some reasons unexplainable to me keeps on prioritizing imported goods when we have local producers anyway. For example, rice. Instead of supporting farmers and providing them whatever they need, they just import other rice. Countries with natural resources should be maximizing the potential of the economic sector but somehow they are stuck in getting products from other countries.