Before interest, he said, the back payments add up to 50 billion cedis, roughly $4.4 billion. “Most of the contractors are home,” Mr. Cherry said. Like many others in this West African country, the contractors have to wait in line for their money. Teacher trainees complain they are owed two months of back pay. Independent power producers that have warned of major blackouts are owed $1.58 billion.

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Persons: Emmanuel Cherry, ” Mr, Cherry, Nana Akufo, Addo Organizations: Independent, International Monetary Fund Locations: Accra Children’s Park