The Navarra Center for International Development produces a series of figures each week focusing on a topic per month. In May it was Doing Business. Here is our report by regions.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Kenya and South Africa are both well above Sub-Saharan Africa's average score for doing business, marked at 51.8/100. Both countries are economic hubs in their regions, but both lag behind smaller nations with better conditions for starting a new company. Kenya has a score of 73.2 behind Rwanda's 76.5, whilst South Africa's 67 is easily beaten by record-high Mauritius with 81.5. Both coutnries excel in protecting minority investors not only in an African context, but worldwide. Kenya is applauded as the best nation protecting minority investors and South Africa the 12th worldwide in the World Bank's ranking. Kenya also qualifies strong, as the fourth nation across the globe, in the easiness for getting credit, whilst South Africa does so in paying taxes as the 13th in the ranking. Their score comes down due to their poor scores on basic things such as getting electricity, enforcing contracts, starting a business and registering property, noting a failure in public management.

Central America

Guatemala has a 62.6/100 score on World Bank's Doing Business ranking. While the country excels in categories such as obtaining electricity and getting credit, it is the 14th worst country worldwide when it comes to enforcing contracts.

Southeast Asia

The Philippines doesn't make it easy to do business. The country is below Southeast Asia's average score due to the difficulties to start a new company and enforce contracts.