Appointment of Independent Non-Executive Directors

12 April 2011

African Minerals Limited

Appointment of Independent Non-Executive Directors

African Minerals Limited is pleased to announce the appointments of Mr. Bernard Robert Pryor, and Ms. Nina B Shapiro, both as Independent Non-Executive Directors. Ms. Shapiro's appointment is effective today, and Mr. Pryor's from 12 July 2011. 

Mr. Pryor, aged 53, is currently the Chief Executive of Q Resources plc. Between 2006 and 2010 he held senior executive positions within Anglo American PLC as Head of Business Development, and CEO of Anglo Ferrous Brazil Inc. From 2000 to 2006 he was Director and Chief Operating Officer of Adastra Minerals Inc, developing the Kolwezi tailings deposit in DRC. Before that he held several global minerals consulting positions.

Mr. Pryor is a graduate of Imperial College, London, from where he received a BSc (Hons) in Metallurgical Engineering.

Ms. Shapiro, aged 62, recently retired from her last role as VP, Finance and Treasury and member of the Management Group, for the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group. She has had a distinguished career serving for more than 30 years in the World Bank, well respected for innovative work in the emerging and developed capital markets, as well as in project and structured finance.

Ms. Shapiro is a graduate of Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts from where she received a BA. She also holds a MBA from Harvard Business School and an MRP from Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Commenting on the Board changes, Frank Timis, Executive Chairman of African Minerals said:

"It is with great pleasure that I welcome Bernie and Nina to the board of African Minerals, where their combined extensive mining and international investment knowledge and experience will be a major asset to African Minerals as we continue to grow the Company.

There is no information in relation to Mr. Pryor's appointment required pursuant to Schedule 2 paragraph (g) of the AIM rules for Companies other than as follows:

Mr. Pryor holds, or has held, the following directorships in the last five years:

Previous Directorships

Anglo Ferrous Brazil

Adastra Minerals Inc

There is no information in relation to Ms. Shapiro's appointment required pursuant to Schedule 2 paragraph (g) of the AIM rules for Companies .

For further information please contact

African Minerals Limited +44 20 7104 2280

Mike Jones

Aura Financial +44 20 7321 0000

Michael Oke / Andy Mills 

Canaccord Genuity Limited +44 20 7050 6500

Robert Finlay / Guy Blakeney

Notes to Editors

African Minerals is developing the wholly owned Tonkolili iron ore project in Sierra Leone, with a JORC compliant resource of 12.8Bnt. The project, which currently has a 60+ year mine-life, is being developed in 3 phases. Phase I of the project is fully funded and at full capacity is expected to produce 12 million tonnes of iron ore per annum once it ramps up from initial production in Q4 2011. Phases II and III are expected to boost production incrementally by 23Mtpa and 45Mtpa respectively. African Minerals and its contractors currently employ approximately 3,600 people in Sierra Leone, 78% of whom are Sierra Leonean nationals.

The Company is also developing significant port and rail infrastructure to support the development of the project, via African Rail and Port Services ("ARPS"), with the Government of Sierra Leone as 10% partners.

African Minerals is registered in Bermuda and is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.