Mr. Carl Esprey reports

LITHIUM AFRICA APPOINTS DR. THOMAS BENSON AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Lithium Africa Corp. has appointed Dr. Thomas Benson as chief executive officer, effective July 1, 2026. The company expects to provide a corporate update regarding the leadership transition following Dr. Benson's appointment.

Dr. Benson joined the board of directors of the company in April, 2026, and will continue to serve as a director. He currently serves as vice-president of global exploration at Lithium Argentina AG (Toronto Stock Exchange: LAR) (New York Stock Exchange: LAR) and will continue to support Lithium Argentina in an advisory capacity following his transition to Lithium Africa.

Tyron Breytenbach, PGeo, co-founder and current chief executive officer of Lithium Africa, will step down as chief executive officer and a director effective July 1, 2026, and transition to the role of capital markets adviser. In this role, Mr. Breytenbach will remain actively engaged with the company to support continuity across capital markets activity, strategic relationships and growth priorities. Mr. Breytenbach commented: "Building Lithium Africa alongside our partners and team has been a privilege of my career. The company is now well capitalized, well partnered and positioned for its next phase of growth, and I am proud to hand the reins to someone whose technical leadership has helped shape where we are today."

Dr. Benson commented: "I am grateful to Tyron and the board for the support and the opportunity to lead Lithium Africa as we enter the next phase of growth. My focus now is to build Lithium Africa into a leading exploration company through disciplined capital allocation, rigorous technical evaluation and the same lithium-specific, cutting-edge exploration methods I have applied at some of the world's largest lithium deposits. By drilling priority targets and advancing them through clear technical decision points, and by drawing on the expertise of our local African teams, we aim to define large-scale lithium resources and create long-term value for shareholders, host countries and local communities."

Sam Pigott, president and chief executive officer of Lithium Argentina AG, further commented: "Tom has been integral in helping Lithium Argentina define several of the largest lithium brine resources globally. We're delighted he'll continue supporting our team and wish him every success in leading Lithium Africa."

About Dr. Thomas Benson

Dr. Benson is an internationally recognized lithium exploration leader. As vice-president of global exploration at Lithium Argentina AG, and previously in the same role at Lithium Americas Corp., he led exploration and resource development on the Thacker Pass project (Nevada, United States) -- now the largest National Instrument 43-101-compliant lithium resource and reserve in the world -- and on the Cauchari-Olaroz and Pozuelos-Pastos Grandes brine systems in Argentina, both of which rank among the largest lithium resources globally and are in production and development, respectively. He has built deep technical and commercial experience working with Ganfeng Lithium across multiple joint ventures and has led major institutional due diligence processes on lithium projects at every stage of development.

Dr. Benson has served as geological adviser to Lithium Africa since 2023 and joined the board in April, 2026, contributing to project identification, acquisition and exploration strategy across the company's African portfolio.

Dr. Benson holds a PhD from Stanford University focused on volcanology and lithium systems, and a bachelor's degree in geology from Harvard University. He has held research affiliations with MIT, Columbia University and the Iceland Geological Survey as a Fulbright scholar, has published in Nature and Science, and in 2025 served as editor for two special issues of economic geology focused on lithium deposits.

Restricted share unit (RSU) grant

In connection with his appointment as chief executive officer, Dr. Benson will be granted 750,000 RSUs of the company, subject to the company obtaining disinterested shareholder approval at the upcoming AGM to be held on Aug. 21, 2026, and acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange.

About Lithium Africa Corp.

Lithium Africa has established a 50/50 joint venture partnership with GFL International Co. Ltd. to advance lithium exploration across Africa. Through this partnership, the company holds an indirect 50-per-cent interest in a portfolio of hard rock lithium assets across South Africa, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Mali and Zimbabwe.

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