There has long been a debate on whether the Turks and Caicos and other micro-states in the region are viable as self-governing entities.

ECONOMIST: The Turks and Caicos loses independence

The chance of a peaceful settlement in either Rwanda or Burundi, the two micro-states at the heart of the region, is small.

ECONOMIST: The Hutu-Tutsi divide

Warren Buffett and Bill Gates should use more of their money to set up region-specific venture capital funds and micro-lending organizations with main goals not to get killer returns but to give entrepreneurs the ability to try out their ideas.

FORBES

While countries such as Bangladesh started micro-credit programmes in the 1970s, low population densities in many areas of rural Latin America have meant that micro-credit schemes have been seen as economically unviable in the region.

BBC: Low interest loans for Latin Americans