Completion of placing
             



AIM Release
                                                    17 September 2008


                   Minerva Resources Plc (AIM:MVA)
               ('Minerva Resources' or 'the Company')

                       Placing raises �607,500

Minerva  Resources  plc,  the   UK  based  mineral  exploration   and
development  company  with  prospects  in  Ethiopia,  is  pleased  to
announce that it has  successfully raised �607,500  via a placing  at
2.5p.

HIGHLIGHTS

  * The Company has successfully raised �607,500;

  * Ambrian Capital plc ('Ambrian') has agreed to capitalise the
    outstanding loan made by Ambrian to the Company, amounting to
    �334,480;

  * Following this transaction Ambrian has a 38.2% stake in the
    Company; and

  * The proceeds of the placing will be used to develop the Tulu Kapi
    JORC Inferred Resource and to commence the development of the
    Tulu Kapi JORC Indicated Resource.


Shares Placed

The directors of Minerva Resources  are pleased to announce that  the
Company has placed 24,300,000 new  ordinary shares of 2.5 pence  each
(the 'Placing Shares') at 2.5 pence per ordinary share (the  'Placing
price') through  its  broker  WH  Ireland Limited,  and  Wills  &  Co
Corporate Ltd  (Wills),  raising  �607,500  gross  of  expenses  (the
'Placing').

In addition, Ambrian  has agreed to  capitalise the outstanding  loan
made by Ambrian to the Company, amounting to �334,480, by subscribing
for 13,379,200 new ordinary Shares ('Ambrian Shares') at the  Placing
Price. Following  this  transaction,  Ambrian  will  hold  57,879,200
ordinary shares in  the Company, representing  38.2% of the  enlarged
share capital of the Company.

The Placing Shares and Ambrian Shares are to be issued together  with
one warrant entitling the holder to subscribe for one ordinary  share
in the Company at  4 pence per ordinary  Share (the 'Warrants').  The
Warrants granted shall  be exercisable at  any time up  to 18  months
from the date of  admission of the Placing  Shares to trading on  AIM
becoming effective.  The warrants will not be admitted to trading  on
AIM.

Wills will  receive  2,070,000  new  ordinary  shares  and  2,070,000
Warrants, entitling the holder to subscribe for one ordinary share in
the Company at  4 pence per  ordinary Share,  in lieu of  fees for  a
commission on the value of the shares placed by Wills, the production
of an initial research note and a corporate finance fee.

Application will be made for the 39,749,200 new ordinary shares to be
admitted to trading on Aim and  dealings are expected to commence  on
30 September  2008. Following  the admission  of these  new  ordinary
shares, the Company's issued ordinary  share capital will consist  of
151,492,160 ordinary shares of 2.5 pence each.

Use of Proceeds

The proceeds of the placing will be  used to complete Stage 1 of  the
proposed exploration programme, which is the development of the  Tulu
Kapi JORC  Inferred  Resource and  commence  Stage 2,  which  is  the
development of the Tulu Kapi  JORC Indicated Resource. The timing  of
the further development of the Tulu Kapi Project is expected to occur
in the first quarter of 2009  and it is anticipated that the  Company
will seek further funding.

Related Party Transactions

The capitalisation of the Ambrian loan is being treated as a  related
party transaction, under the AIM  rules, as Ambrian is a  substantial
shareholder. Accordingly, the  directors of the  Company, with  Roger
Clegg abstaining, as he  is a director of  an Ambrian group  company,
consider that,  after consultation  with  WH Ireland,  the  Company's
nominated  adviser,  the  terms  of  the  transaction  are  fair  and
reasonable insofar  as  the  shareholders of  Minerva  Resources  are
concerned.

Mr. Terry Ward, as a trustee  of the Ward Superannuation Fund,  which
is the pension fund  for Mr. Terry Ward,  a director of the  Company,
and of which he and his  wife, Christine Ward, are the only  trustees
of the  Fund, has  participated  in the  placing by  subscribing  for
1,000,000 new ordinary  shares at the  Placing Price. Following  this
transaction,  the  Ward  Superannuation  Fund  will  hold   2,522,400
ordinary shares in the Company, which represent 1.7% of the  enlarged
share capital. Accordingly, the directors of the Company, with  Terry
Ward abstaining, consider that,  after consultation with WH  Ireland,
the Company's nominated  adviser, the  terms of  the transaction  are
fair and reasonable insofar as the shareholders of Minerva  Resources
are concerned.


Terry Ward, Managing Director, commented today,

"The amount of new monies raised in this difficult climate  indicates
the confidence that  our existing  and new shareholders  have in  the
potential of the assets and the ability of the management to  develop
these assets. We are heartened  by the continuing tremendous  support
from Ambrian  Capital plc  and welcome  the new  shareholders on  the
register.

"We look forward to progressing the Resource at Tulu Kapi to the JORC
Inferred standard,  the  further development of  the project and  its
satellite prospects  and the  investigation  into the  potential  for
these prospects to  be combined  with the  Tulu Kapi  Project in  the
establishment of  a  'one treatment  plant  - multiple  feed  sources
scenario'".


For further information please contact:

Terry Ward
Minerva Resources plc
Tel: +44 (0)20 73795012 / (0) 7989571576
terry.ward@minervaresources.com
web: www.minervaresources.com

Nick Rome
Bishopgate Communications Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)20 75623366
nick.rome@bishopgatecommunications.com

James Joyce / Sarang Shah
W. H. Ireland
Tel: +44 (0)20 72201666
james.joyce@wh-ireland.co.uk


Notes to Editors

Minerva  Resources  plc  is  a  UK  based  mineral  exploration   and
development company quoted on London's Alternative Investment  Market
(AIM:MVA). The Company is intent  on delivering shareholder value  by
increasing and developing  its mineral  resources in  a socially  and
environmentally responsible manner.

The main focus is resource development in Ethiopia where the  Company
has first-mover advantage on prospective ground on the Arabian-Nubian
shield. Key projects  include the  gold resources at  the Tulu  Kapi,
Gudeya-Guji, Guji and  Dina Prospects  and the  Yubdo Platinum  Mine,
located in western Ethiopia, some 560km west of Addis Ababa.

Tulu Kapi was mined in the 1930s by an Italian company. In the 1970s,
the United  Nations Development  Programme  mapped and  drilled  Tulu
Kapi. Tan  Range  Exploration  carried  out  soil  sampling,  further
mapping and drilling in the 1990s. These two phases of work confirmed
mineralisation extending over a strike length of 1.5km.

Minerva Resources has completed  25 diamond drill  holes to date,  at
Tulu Kapi,  on its  resource drilling  programme on  a 600m  section,
after   encouraging   Minerva   Resources   ground   mapping,    data
reinterpretation and excellent scout drilling results.

Scout drilling  programmes have  been completed  at the  Gudeya-Guji,
Guji and Dina gold prospects, which are located in close proximity to
Tulu Kapi. The  drilling has shown  mineralised intersections on  all
three prospects.

The results from the  drilling on Tulu Kapi,  which are shown in  the
latest  drilling  report  announcement  on  the  Company's   website,
www.minervaresources.com, and the satellite prospects and their close
proximity point towards a  new gold province  with the potential  for
the establishment of a 'one treatment plant -multiple feed scenario'.

The Company  is examining  the potential  to expand  the small  scale
platinum production operations at Yubdo, some 25km from the Tulu Kapi
Project. A  pilot  gravity  recovery  plant  has  been  installed,  a
metallurgical research  programme  has  been  initiated  and  further
exploration activities have  commenced on  the 9km  by 1.5km  surface
expression of the orebody.

Minerva Resources also has  a presence in  Central Asia, operating  a
Technical Services  Division undertaking  contract drilling  and  the
provision of geological services from the Kyrgyz Republic.

In Sierra  Leone,  the  Company  holds  gold,  platinum  and  diamond
exploration licences, which  will for  the most part  continue to  be
developed by existing Joint Venture partners.

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