African Discovery Group (AFDG) announces signing of Definitive Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) for Butembo Copper Asset in the Democratic Republic of Congo; name change to Copper Intelligence, Inc

African Discovery Group (AFDG) announces signing of Definitive Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) for Butembo Copper Asset in the Democratic Republic of Congo; name change to Copper Intelligence, Inc

Feb 4, 2026, Washington DC, USA – AFDG, now Copper Intelligence, has successfully entered into a binding contract for the transaction closing of the Butembo mining concession in Eastern DRC. In conjunction with the SPA, AFDG shares have been issued to the license holders, with ownership of the mining interest now held by the US domiciled entity, thus completing the Reverse Takeover transaction (RTO).

The transaction was signed in parallel with a Strategic Minerals roundtable held in Washington DC in conjunction with the launch of Project Vault by US President Trump, and the attendance by His Excellency, President Felix Tshisekedi of DRC, and Aldo Cesano, Director of Copper Intelligence, and the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Department of State in Washington, D.C.

Copper Intelligence, Inc is now the first stand-alone DRC company to be publicly traded in the United States.

Andrew Groves, Chairman of Copper Intelligence stated, “ We are delighted to hold this status as a dedicated US company operating in Africa, aggregating assets in the DRC’s highest grade copper deposits in the world. The geology, and DRC’s prospective superlative yields, affords us the opportunity to create a unique, and dedicated copper exploration company. The Technical Team will now drive shareholder value through a methodical exploration program, asset addition, and validation of results.“

Aldo Cesano, Director added, “We believe Copper Intelligence will make a significant contribution to the people and communities of the DRC in which we work.”

Alan Kessler, Director and Founder concluded, “We are confident Copper Intelligence holds the resources, timing and execution capability to embrace the global copper shortage, and create shareholder value as a pioneering African company.”

About the Butembo Copper Project

Butembo is a near surface, low strip, Tier one exploration opportunity, located near the Ruwenzori mountain location of Uganda’s biggest copper mine (Kilembe with 4 million tons of verified reserves), located only 50km from the Ugandan border with verified access to rail. The High-grade copper samples thus far have returned 18% Copper assays, which if maintained at production would rank amongst the highest globally.

Industry and DRC positioning

The Washington Post, under demand scenarios, estimates annual deficits for copper could reach or exceed 6 million tons by 2035. The U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) estimates that closing this gap would require opening around 80 major new mines by 2030. BHP forecasts a 72 percent jump in copper demand by 2050, driven heavily by data-center expansion and the clean-energy transition. S&P Global projects that electrification alone could more than double global copper needs by mid-century. According to Rio Tinto, African deposits make up eight out of the ten highest grade copper deposits discovered since 1990 globally. DRC’s copper production itself is among the largest in the world, with the DRC itself concentrating 65% of newly announced copper reserves identified worldwide, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.

US government initiative

In 2025, the United States government added Copper to a list of Critical Materials, formally opening federal investment incentives and Defense Production Act tools. On February 2, 2026, President Trump launched a strategic critical-minerals stockpile, dubbed Project Vault, in a bid to insulate manufacturers from supply shocks as the US works to diminish its reliance on Chinese metals. The $12bln Reserve, is an independently governed public‑private partnership that will store essential raw materials in facilities across the United States.

Further details

In addition to the corporate name change to “Copper Intelligence, Inc”, a reverse split (1-for-100) has additionally been approved via Director resolution, as has a new trading symbol for the combined company to replace the existent “AFDG”. These items are in application for final exchange approval at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), with an update to be provided in the coming weeks. Despite government shutdown disruptions, the company anticipates an uplisting to a major US exchange to occur later in 2026.

Forward Looking Statements

Disclosure:

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than statements of historical facts, such as plans, projections or expectations relating to future copper exploration and production work in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The words “anticipates,” “may,” “can,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “projects,” “targets,” “intends,” “likely,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “to be,” “potential,” “assumptions,” “guidance,” “forecasts,” “future,” “pursues,” “initiatives,” “objectives,” “opportunities,” “strategy” and any similar expressions are intended to identify those assertions as forward-looking statements.

The company cautions readers that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated, expected, projected or assumed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that can cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, operational risks inherent in mining, with higher inherent risks in underground mining; mine sequencing; changes in mine plans or operational modifications, delays, deferrals or any major public health crisis; labor relations, including labor-related work stoppages and increased costs; compliance with applicable environmental, health and safety laws and regulations; weather- and climate-related risks; environmental risks, and impacts, as well as those factors described in more detail under the heading “Risk Factors” in AFDG’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 28, 2026, to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investors are cautioned that many of the assumptions upon which AFDG’s forward-looking statements are based are likely to change after the date the forward-looking statements are made. Further, AFDG may make changes to its business plans that could affect its results. AFDG undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, which are as of the date made, notwithstanding any changes in its assumptions, changes in business plans, actual experience or other changes.

Media Contact:

www.copperintelligence.com

Maxine Gordon

mg@africandiscoverygroup.com

(917) 478-0406