Vodafone says ready for talks on Ghana deal

ACCRA, Nov 5 (Reuters) - British mobile phone operator Vodafone Group (VOD.L) said it was ready to talk to Ghana about its purchase of a controlling stake in Ghana Telecommunications (GT) last year.

Ghana's government had said earlier in the week it backed Vodafone's $900 million purchase of the 70 percent stake in GT but wanted to talk about some issues. [ID:nL3376056]

"Vodafone looks forward to a constructive re-engagement with the government to find ways that Vodafone can support Ghana's goals even more in future," Vodafone said on Wednesday.

The move came two weeks after a Ghanaian government committee ruled the deal illegal, unnerving investors.

The government committee said the price was too low, that the government did not receive an adequate return, and that Ghana should have retained Ghana Telecom's national fibre-optic cable as a strategic asset.

Ghana's government has said future talks should be handled by technical experts and negotiators and talks with Vodafone would include issues relating to the operation of the National Fibre Optic Backbone.

Concerns over the Vodafone deal coincide with Ghana's review of a reported multi-billion dollar deal by U.S. oil company Exxon (XOM.N) to purchase Kosmos Energy's stake in the giant offshore Jubilee oil field.

Analysts have said the confusion over the two major deals could risk scaring off foreign investors. (Reporting by Kwasi Kpodo; Writing by David Lewis; Editing by Dan Lalor)