AFA Appoints Launch Africa to Manage $100M Pan-African Mining Fund

Africans for Africa Initiative Appoints Launch Africa Capital Manager to Lead Pan-African Mining Fund with first close of $100M

Africa sits at the centre of the global race for minerals that will power the world’s future yet historically, Africans have captured only a fraction of the value created from their own natural resources. As demand for critical minerals accelerates, a new institution is stepping forward with a bold, African vision for ownership, capital mobilisation, and value retention.

The Africans for Africa Initiative (AFA) has appointed Launch Africa Capital Manager (LAC) as Fund Manager for the AFA Fund, a Pan-African investment platform targeting an initial $100 million first close to reshape how mining projects are financed, governed, and developed across the continent.

The AFA Fund is a specialist, mineral-agnostic investment vehicle, designed to channel African, diaspora, and international capital into high-quality resource projects in a way that places African interests at the centre of value creation. With this decision, AFA is positioning itself as one of the first continent-wide resource funds grounded in a non-negotiable principle: a minimum of 51% of project benefits must demonstrably accrue to Africans and their communities.

Building an African-Led Investment Institution

AFA’s appointment of Launch Africa Capital Manager reflects a deeper strategic alignment. LAC brings a track record that is rare on the continent: 164 investments across 25 African countries, consistent institutional stewardship, and the ability to mobilise capital from domestic, diaspora, and international investors at scale.

This combination, a mission-driven resource strategy and a proven Pan-African capital allocator, gives the AFA Fund the institutional architecture needed to deliver what many African nations have long sought: structured, patient, professionally governed African capital backing African resource development.

Tim Tokun, Managing Director and Co-Founder of AFA, puts it plainly:

“For decades, world-class African mineral assets have not been adequately matched with African capital. The result was predictable — value leakage, limited local beneficiation, and missed opportunities for broad-based prosperity. AFA is designed to close that historical gap. We are building an institution that ensures our mineral wealth finally drives sustainable development and wealth retention on the continent.”

Why Now? The Global Context Driving the AFA Approach