Lithium Africa names Kanellitsas and Ortiz to board

Cape Town, South Africa--(Newsfile Corp. - July 13, 2026) - Lithium Africa Corp. (TSXV: LAF) (FSE: 6MQ) (OTCQB: LTAFF) (" Lithium Africa " or the " Company ") is pleased to announce that Mr. John Kanellitsas and Mr. Ernie Ortiz will stand for election to the Board of Directors (the " Board ") at the Company's Annual General Meeting (" AGM ") to be held on August 21, 2026. Dr. Thomas Benson, Chief Executive Officer, commented: " John and Ernie are two of the most respected leaders in the lithium sector, and I am thrilled to welcome them as we build Lithium Africa into a world-class exploration and consolidation platform. John has been a mentor to me since my time at Lithium Americas and Lithium Argentina, where he helped guide both companies through periods of exploration, development, and extraordinary growth.

Ernie has spent his career at the center of critical minerals capital markets, and his track record in structuring and financing lithium assets around the world is exactly the expertise that will help us deliver value for our shareholders, our host countries, and the communities where we operate. " The Company also announces that Mr. Robert Eckford will not stand for re-election to the Board at the AGM. The Board and management sincerely thank Mr. Eckford for his valuable contributions since joining the Board in October 2024 and wish him continued success in his future endeavours.

As previously announced, Mr. Tyron Breytenbach, P.Geo., stepped down from the Board effective July 1, 2026 and continues to support the Company as Capital Markets Advisor. About John Kanellitsas Mr. Kanellitsas is Chairman of Lithium Argentina AG, which he joined as an independent director in June 2013 when the company was known as Lithium Americas Corp. He has held various executive roles with both companies since September 2015, including Interim Chief Executive Officer from October 2023 to March 2024. He has more than 30 years of experience in the investment banking and asset management industries and was a co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Geologic Resource Partners, LLP from 2004 to 2014.

Earlier in his career, he held positions with Sun Valley Gold, LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. in New York and San Francisco. He has served on several public and private company boards, including Lithium Royalty Corp. and Largo Physical Vanadium Corp. Mr. Kanellitsas holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles. About Ernie Ortiz Mr. Ortiz co-founded Lithium Royalty Corp. (LRC) in 2018 and served as its Chief Executive Officer and President, building a globally diversified critical-minerals royalty portfolio spanning jurisdictions including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mali, Serbia, Finland, and the United States.

He led the company through its initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange in March 2023 — the only IPO completed on the Toronto Stock Exchange that year — raising C$150 million, and subsequently through its acquisition by Altius Minerals Corporation, which was completed in March 2026. He began his career as an equity research analyst in the Basic Materials group at Credit Suisse in New York and later served as a buy-side analyst focused on lithium, battery components, and specialty chemicals. Mr. Ortiz is a founding member of the London Metal Exchange (LME) Lithium and Cobalt Committee, serves on the Board of Directors of Sinova Global Inc., and is a CFA charterholder.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Chicago and is fluent in English and Spanish. Further information regarding the nominees will be included in the Company's management information circular for the AGM, which will be filed under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca . About Lithium Africa Corp. Lithium Africa Corp. is a capital-efficient lithium exploration and consolidation company assembling a portfolio of hard-rock lithium assets across Africa.

Through its 50/50 joint venture with GFL International Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Ganfeng Lithium Group Co., Ltd., the Company holds an indirect 50% interest in lithium exploration projects in Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Zimbabwe, and Mali. In addition, the Company is acquiring a majority interest in the Springbok Project in South Africa, which is held outside the joint venture. For more information, please visit www.li-africa.com .

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF LITHIUM AFRICA CORP. Thomas Benson, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer For further information regarding the Company, contact: Jeanne Liu, Corporate Communications at investors@li-africa.com , 1.604.771.7125 Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, including statements in respect of the nomination and anticipated election of Mr. Kanellitsas and Mr. Ortiz to the Board at the Company's Annual General Meeting, the anticipated contributions of the nominees if elected, and the Company's plans and programs for its exploration portfolio in Africa. These forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition, the forward-looking statements require management to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties.

There is significant risk that the forward-looking statements will not prove to be accurate, that the management's assumptions may not be correct and that actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Generally forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "anticipate", "will", "expect", "may", "continue", "could", "estimate", "forecast", "plan", "potential" and similar expressions.

These forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect which, without limiting the generality of the following, include: the ability to raise funds through private or public equity financings; general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; delay or failure to receive regulatory approvals; risks inherent in exploration activities; the impact of exploration competition; unexpected geological conditions; changes in government regulations and policies, including trade laws and policies; failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals from government authorities; volatility and sensitivity to market prices; volatility and sensitivity to capital market fluctuations; environmental and safety risks including increased regulatory burdens; weather and other natural phenomena; and other exploration, development, operating, financial market and regulatory risks. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof or the dates specifically referenced in this press release, where applicable. Except as required by applicable securities laws and regulation, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/304847 Newsfile Corp. July 13, 2026 - 4:00 AM PDT News by QuoteMedia www.quotemedia.com