The chief executive of Ghana's Ashanti Goldfields was optimistic on Tuesday over the Ghanaian government's stance on a proposed aquisition of Ashanti by South Africa's AngloGold .

"The fact that the government hasn't said they're hostile is significant. That says an awful lot that is positive," CEO Sam Jonah told a conference call on the planned deal.

Ghana says to retain golden share in Ashanti

Ghana said on Tuesday that South African gold producer AngloGold had agreed the government could keep its golden share in Ashanti Goldfields and said it was not opposed to AngloGold's bid for the Ghanaian firm.

Finance Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo told Reuters that AngloGold had agreed that the government could hold onto its golden share, which empowers the government to block any sale of assets in Ghana.

"We are not opposed to the deal but we don't want to be cheated," Osafo-Maafo said.