If the unprecedented turnout at the Guatemala Investment Summit 2013 is anything to go by, the country's FDI prospects have never been better. But, deep-rooted political divides and high rates of violent crime still threaten to overshadow the country's potential.

A violent history has long blighted El Salvador’s international reputation. However, Now that two of the country’s largest gangs have called a truce, can the country finally establish itself as an attractive destination for investment, or will political tensions lingering from civil war thwart its economic progress?

Oil reserves discovered in Uganda have the potential to transform the economic status of one of the world's least developed countries. But ongoing political friction in the country and indecision over the laws pertaining to the extraction of the oil are causing concerns about just how beneficial the money from these reserves will be to the country as a whole.

In the 15 years of stability since the end of its bloody civil war, Guatemala has become a popular destination for foreign investors looking for a route into Central America. However, outbreaks of violence in the run up to a general election later this year are threatening the country's hard-won reputation as one of the FDI world's rising stars.

The upcoming exit of president Álvaro Uribe marks a new era for Colombia. Once given a wide berth by investors, security has improved and its capital, Bogotá, is undergoing a revival. Michael Deibert reports