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

From copper and lithium to gold and manganese, Africa holds the minerals that are indispensable for global decarbonisation, electrification, and industrial expansion. Africa's mineral dominance is well established: the continent supplies nearly 70% of the world’s cobalt, over 40% of global manganese, and holds some of the largest reserves of platinum-group metals, bauxite, graphite, and rare earth opportunities. As the global energy transition accelerates, this concentration of supply is transforming Africa into the strategic anchor of future mineral security, making the question of who finances African resource development more important than ever.

Several converging trends make AFA’s timing significant:

• Critical minerals demand is skyrocketing, with the US, EU, China, and India aggressively securing supply.

• African governments are tightening local content and beneficiation policies, requiring more domestic value capture.

• Diaspora capital pools are growing but lack structured vehicles to deploy into mining and energy.

• Institutional investors are seeking Pan-African exposure, but require governance, scale, and pipeline credibility.

AFA’s thesis intersects all four.

At the same time, many international operators working in Africa increasingly recognise the importance of African capital participation in their projects for strengthening project resilience and long-term stability. AFA is designed to close this gap: providing a trusted, professionally governed platform through which African and diaspora capital can partner with global operators, creating symbiotic structures that enhance project bankability.

Launch Africa Capital Manager: A Platform Built for Pan-African Execution

LAC’s appointment gives the AFA Fund immediate reach across regulatory environments, investor networks, and deal ecosystems. The mandate includes:

• Leading Pan-African, diaspora, and international capital mobilisation

• Deploying into a balanced, de-risked portfolio of mining and energy projects

• Ensuring every investment adheres to the 51% African-benefit mandate

• Building a long-term institution, not a short-cycle fund

  
  

Janade du Plessis, Co-Managing Partner of Launch Africa Capital Manager, notes:

“AFA’s 51% African-benefit mandate aligns directly with our mission to build sustainable African businesses that improve quality of life. We’ve built the infrastructure to mobilise and deploy capital across Africa’s most complex environments. With AFA, we are now applying that capability to the resource sector; building an institution that scales without compromising governance, community benefit, or African ownership.”

Early Execution: AFA Secures First Investment in Ghana

To demonstrate immediate traction, AFA has commenced operations in West Africa with its first strategic deployment: a $10 million investment into a gold tailings reprocessing venture in Ghana, secured through AFA’s Regional Investment Partner.

This project represents AFA’s investment model in action:

• It focuses on high-yield, near-production assets

• It leverages tailings reprocessing, reducing environmental impact

• It generates rapid cash flow and community-level benefits

• It offers technical de-risking, given the known recoverable material

  
  

This deal serves as proof for how the AFA Fund intends to blend profitability, sustainability, and African value retention.

As global mineral security intensifies, institutions capable of sourcing, developing, and financing African minerals while ensuring Africans benefit will become increasingly essential. AFA aims to sit at the forefront of that future for decades to come, and welcomes partners who share this vision.

About Launch Africa Capital Manager: Launch Africa Capital Manager is the Managed Accounts Fund division of Launch Africa Ventures, recognized as Africa’s most active early-stage institutional investor. With a presence across 25 African countries, LAC is mandated to drive significant returns and institutional development by mobilizing capital from the global diaspora and international investors.

About The Africans for Africa Initiative: The Africans for Africa Initiative (AforA) is a purpose-driven platform focused on indigenous leadership in resource development. Through its dual pillars: The AFA Initiative (Network & Advocacy) and the AFA Fund (Investment Vehicle), AforA promotes African agency, value addition, and resource maximization for sustainable, equitable continental growth.

For comments:

AFA Media Team: info@afainitiative.org

Launch Africa Capital Manager: info@launchafrica.vc