The Arab Spring protests, and the months of political instability that followed, slowed FDI inflows into north Africa. But rather than pulling out of the region entirely, many investors simply put their projects on hold or moved into other more stable economies such as Morocco and Algeria.

Despite its small size, Antigua and Barbuda's economic integration with other Caribbean jurisdictions gives its companies a huge market to do business with, says the minister of finance, economy and public administration. However, the island's image of being a tax haven is one that will have to be shed in order to achieve bigger growth.

The Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul will be one of the host regions of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and the state's governor is intending to use the event to show would-be investors that the region is the easiest in the country in which to do business.

Dogged by preconceptions of the region being a little more than a holiday retreat or a tax haven, investment promotion agencies in the Caribbean are focusing upon providing the best possible service to would-be investors – both large and small – in order to attract international businesses to their countries.

The Zambian economy has been growing apace in recent years, but with the country largely reliant on its mining industry and many of the proceeds from this sector not benefiting local people, the government is offering incentives for investment in other sectors.

The mayors of five Canadian cities tell Michal Kaczmarski about their cities' development and infrastructure plans that they are promoting at the 2012 MIPIM global real estate conference in Cannes.