Red tape from municipal and provincial governments gums up foreign investment, and the reduction in loans to cement and steel companies cuts all investment--including money for efficiency projects--to those industries.

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Companies from Trinidad and Barbados have invested in cement and insurance businesses.

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Just look at Cemex, one of the largest cement companies in the world and based in Monterrey, Mexico.

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Just look at Cemex (nyse: CX - news - people ), one of the largest cement companies in the world and based in Monterrey, Mexico.

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It is also a mountain rich in limestone and has for decades been gouged out by cement companies.

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The civil lawsuit was brought against the UK oil firm - as well as other companies involved in the accident, including rig-owner Transocean and cement-provider Halliburton - by the US Justice of Department and the US states affected by the oil slick.

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Whereas rich-world companies, such as Lafarge and Saint-Gobain, are investing in developing countries to increase sales of their cement and building products, Cemex is showing that the same thing can flow in reverse.

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