East Africa Metals Announces Additions to Project Development Committee

VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - April 19, 2016) -  East Africa Metals Inc. (TSX VENTURE: EAM) ("East Africa" or the "Company") wishes to announce additions to the Company's Project Development Committee as the Company prepares to engage the detailed engineering studies and development plans for its Terakimti Gold Oxide Project in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia.

East Africa is pleased to announce the following additions to the Project Development Committee:

Peter J. Hawley, BSc, BEng, P.Geo

Peter Hawley, founder of Scorpio Mining Corporation, served as CEO of that company from 1998 until November 2010 and is currently a director. He has over 30 years of mining industry experience that spans grassroots exploration through to development and production and has worked extensively with a large number of intermediate and senior mining companies including Teck, Noranda, Placer Dome and Barrick Gold. Mr. Hawley is also highly experienced in private and public company financing and corporate administration.

Chris Zerga

Mr. Zerga has worked in the mining industry for over 30 years and is currently employed by Scorpio Gold Corporation as its General Manager for their Mineral Ridge Gold property located in Silver Peak Nevada. Prior to holding this position Mr. Zerga held various positions ranging from Mill, Refinery, and Laboratory Manager and Metallurgical accountant for several companies including Newmont, Freeport McMoRan, Anglogold and Queenstake. Mr. Zerga has a diverse operational background which includes metallurgical expertise in wet and dry milling, roasting, heap leaching, refining and laboratory operations.

Jay Melnyk, P.Eng

With more than 25 years of international and domestic mining engineering experience, predominantly in open-pit mines, with additional underground and exploration experience, Jay Melnyk is recognized as an expert in pit optimization, pit phase design, mine scheduling, equipment selection, cost estimating, project management, resource modeling, and construction management. Jay has also provided extensive mine engineering expertise to Nevsun Resource Ltd.'s Bisha Au-Ag-Cu-Zn Mine in Eritrea.

Sean Waller, P.Eng, Director and Chairman of the Project Development Committee said, "East Africa is pleased to be adding the experience of these highly qualified individuals to the Company's technical team. Their input into the development of the Terakimti Gold Oxide Project will be invaluable."

About East Africa Metals

The Company's principal assets and interests include both the 70%-owned Harvest polymetallic VMS exploration Project, which covers approximately 86 square kilometres in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, 600 kilometres north‐northwest of the capital city of Addis Ababa, and the Adyabo Project, covering 225 square kilometres immediately west of the Harvest Project. The Company owns 80% of the Adyabo Project, and upon execution of an NSR agreement the Company will own 100% of the Adyabo Project, subject to a 2% NSR. East Africa now has mineral resources defined at both projects in Ethiopia and continues to test priority targets. Additionally, the Company owns the 93 square kilometre Handeni Property located in north-eastern Tanzania. Handeni includes the Magambazi Project, a gold deposit discovered in 2009. East Africa has entered into a definitive agreement with an arm's length private exploration and development company to advance the project.

More information on the Company can be viewed at the Company's website: www.eastafricametals.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors:
Andrew Lee Smith, P.Geo., CEO

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "forecast", "project", "budget", "schedule", "may", "will", "could", "might", "should" or variations of such words or similar words or expressions. Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions that have been made by East Africa as at the date of such information and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of East Africa to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to risks factors set out in East Africa's management's discussion and analysis for the nine months ended September 30, 2015, East Africa's listing application dated July 8, 2013 and Tigray Resources Inc. Management Information Circular dated March 28, 2014. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable. Although East Africa has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. The Company does not update or revise forward looking information even if new information becomes available unless legislation requires the Company do so. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information contained herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Neither 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.