What is the first step that many countries in the region need to take in order to improve their economies

Your answer would be "Build and improve the countries roads and bridges"

The first step that many countries in the region need to take in order to improve their economies is to build and improve the countries roads and bridges.

Explanation:

The reason why the answer choice "build and improve the countries roads and bridges" would be the correct answer is because this is the main thing that citizens and people in the economy uses, and if it's not perfect, then no would would want to be in that economy. There are many countries out there that have a terrible roadways and bridges, meaning that there are a lot of pot holes, cracks, worn out roads. People in an economy would not want to be in the economy if the roads are terrible, due to the fact that it is one of the main sources to use for transportation. That's why when there are pot holes, some countries try to fix it as soon as possible to keep economy good. This would be the first step that a country would need to take in order to improve their economy.

separation of church and state? not sure what you mean.