As Quake Hits Country, Gapuma Stands with Colombia
11 August 2026 All of us at Gapuma Group have been following the news from Colombia this week with great concern. The earthquake that struck western Colombia on Monday, its epicentre near San José del Palmar in Chocó, has claimed well over a hundred lives, with serious damage across Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdó. Rescue teams continue their work as the full scale of the disaster emerges. Colombia has long been a valued friend to Gapuma, and this week our first thoughts are with its people – those searching for loved ones, and the emergency workers giving everything to help. Among our own team is Monica Bernal, whose family calls Colombia home; we have been in close contact with her throughout. We also have a colleague in Medellín, Luis Felipe Quintero, whom we have not yet reached directly. Medellín felt the quake strongly, with precautionary evacuations and a brief metro suspension, but unlike Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdó, no serious damage or casualties have been reported there so far. We continue trying to reach him and remain hopeful. Our Group CEO, Jack Bardakjian, said: “Monica and Luis Felipe are part of the Gapuma family, and our first thoughts were with them when the news broke. We’ve stayed close to Monica throughout, and we’re doing everything we can to reach Luis Felipe. Colombia has always held a special place for us at Gapuma, and it does so now more than ever. To everyone across the country affected – please know we are thinking of you, and hoping, with everything we have, for your safety and for Colombia’s swift recovery.” To our friends, partners and colleagues across Colombia: you are in our thoughts. We wish you strength in the days ahead, and a swift return to normality.
Félicitations, Côte d’Ivoire: Gapuma Marks Independence Day with Renewed Commitment
7 August 2026 On Friday, Côte d’Ivoire celebrates 66 years of independence, marking the anniversary of the day in 1960 when the West African nation broke from French colonial rule under its first president, Félix Houphouët-Boigny. For Gapuma Group, the occasion falls at a significant point in its growing relationship with the country. The company has confirmed that a new warehouse facility – part of its long-term commitment to Côte d’Ivoire – will open before the end of the year, expanding its storage and distribution capability and strengthening its ability to serve Ivorian customers and partners. The investment reflects a wider philosophy that runs through Gapuma’s operations. Local content is not treated as a peripheral concern but as central to how the company works, shaping decisions on hiring, supply chains and partnerships across its West African markets, which include Ghana and Nigeria alongside Côte d’Ivoire. Wherever it operates, Gapuma focuses on developing local skills, creating jobs and retaining value within the communities it serves. Côte d’Ivoire’s history since independence has been marked by rapid economic growth. Gapuma points to that trajectory as exactly the kind of market its local-content philosophy is designed to support. This 7th August Gapuma is delighted to extend its congratulations to the people of Côte d’Ivoire, and looks forward to continuing to build and grow alongside this dynamic, vibrant nation.
From Dialogue to Delivery: Gapuma Applauds ASIS 2026’s Drive for Local Content across Africa
28 July 2026 The fifth edition of the Africa Social Impact Summit (ASIS 2026) has once again shown what is possible when purpose meets partnership. Co-convened by Sterling One Foundation, the United Nations in Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, and the Lagos State Government, the summit brought together over 2,000 leaders, investors, policymakers and changemakers in Lagos under the theme “Financing for Development: Building Resilience and Transforming Emerging Economies.” At Gapuma Group, we welcome ASIS 2026’s renewed commitments from partners including UNFPA, Seplat Energy, IHS Towers and The Coca-Cola Company, and the summit’s clear message that Africa’s development will be built through collaboration and local ownership, not isolated effort. It is a message that sits close to home. Through GLB, our Nigerian business, and across our chemicals and commodities operations and distribution networks in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa, Gapuma has long championed local content as the foundation of sustainable growth. For us, that means local teams, local partnerships and local capacity built to last, whether we are supplying industry in Lagos or building presence elsewhere on the continent. ASIS 2026’s shift from dialogue to delivery reflects exactly the approach we take to our own markets: real investment, real presence and real accountability to the communities in which we operate. Africa’s growth will not be financed from the outside looking in. It will be built by businesses and institutions rooted in the continent, working together towards common goals. We congratulate Sterling One Foundation, the United Nations in Nigeria and all this year’s co-convenors and partners on a summit that has once again turned ambition into action. Gapuma remains committed to playing its part, one market, one partnership and one community at a time.
Full Time: Gapuma World Cup Sweepstake has its champion
20 July 2026 Weeks of predictions, no small number of upsets and plenty of office bragging rights came down to a photo finish. After a stiff, closely fought competition, Neha put in a dominant display against determined resistance, but held her nerve to push over the line in extra time and defeat Ash for the top prize. Spain’s number one was solid throughout with barely a shot getting past her all tournament. A solid wall of certainty, right to the final whistle. Neha now holds the Gapuma Sweepstake title for the next four years. On current form, she’ll be expected to be lead her nation once again come the next World Cup – when the tournament heads to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, and Neha, fittingly, takes up co-host duties too. Congratulations, Neha – a worthy champion. And to Ash, runner-up by the finest of margins: there’s always the next time, but not for FOUR YEARS.
Messing About on the River: Gapuma’s Hawaiian Hula Cruise
16th July 2026 There is a particular kind of English absurdity in dressing several dozen commodities and chemicals professionals in leis and grass skirts, loading them onto a pleasure craft, and setting off down the Thames – but absurdity, handled properly, is close cousin to joy, and Gapuma’s Group Summer Activity aboard the SS Hibernia delivered rather a lot of both. The cruise began in Henley-on-Thames and headed downriver, tracing the Henley Royal Regatta course past Medmenham Abbey – two of the straightest kilometres on the Thames, cut a century ago because nothing straighter could be found. A fortnight earlier this stretch had roared with crews and crowds; now the grandstands were half-dismantled, the towpath quiet, the whole apparatus of the Regatta being quietly folded away for another year. It made for a strange, pleasant melancholy – summer’s grandest fixture undressing itself in real time. Off Medmenham, the boat ran alongside a livelier piece of theatre: the Swan Uppers of the Crown, the Vintners and the Dyers, out in their skiffs for the Catch and the Marking. It is one of the more delightful oddities of English river life that only these three parties may lawfully own or mark a mute swan on open water – a privilege the Crown has held since the twelfth century, and one it extended to the two City livery companies in the reign of Edward IV, when a 1482 statute restricted swan-keeping to the properly landed and well-heeled. It was never quite a case of reserving the birds for the royal table alone; rather, a swan in the fifteenth century was less a bird than a title deed with feathers, and the Crown meant to keep it that way. The Hibernia then reversed upstream, back through Henley, through Marsh Lock, and on into the hushed reaches beyond, turning for home just short of Sonning. Here the afternoon found its rhythm: the Gapuma Piña Paradise – commissioned specially for the occasion – circulating freely, the DJ moving deftly between cruising classics and tunes anticipating England’s clash with Argentina that evening, and a dancefloor that showed no inclination to empty. Deepa delectable food ran alongside it all without ever missing a beat. Bingo had been running throughout the day as a gloriously baffling ongoing competition, joined later by a Know Your Bosses quiz that revealed rather more about the leadership team than perhaps intended. It closed, as these things should, with an awards ceremony of high theatre and higher scrutiny: Shilpa crowned best theme-dressed woman, Luka taking the male honours, Kasia declared Queen of the Hula, and our guest of honour Kojo Jones-Mensah confirmed as its King, to absolutely nobody’s surprise. By five o’clock, on a balmy, sun-soaked afternoon perfectly suited to cruising and messing about on the river, the Hibernia was back alongside at Henley – leis a little wilted, grass skirts a little worse for wear, and the whole party thoroughly reluctant to disembark.
Trade, Regulation and the Value of Agility
14 July 2026 Two headlines this week tell an interesting story about two very different approaches to doing business in Europe. On one hand, the European Commission has conditionally approved the Baker Hughes-Chart Industries merger, subject to a series of remedies following a detailed competition review. That is the EU’s institutional model at work, comprehensive, rules-based and regulatory. On the other, the UK has concluded a new trade agreement with Switzerland. It is another reminder that, post-Brexit, Britain is able to pursue its own commercial relationships and trade priorities. For those of us involved in international commodities and supply chains, the contrast is noteworthy. Commodity markets thrive on certainty, speed and the ability to respond quickly to changing market conditions. Traders need governments that facilitate commerce, open markets and remove unnecessary friction. While robust competition rules have an important role to play, there is also a strong case for agile trade policy that enables businesses to seize opportunities as they arise. Switzerland has long demonstrated how a relatively small nation can punch well above its weight by championing free trade, commercial pragmatism and international connectivity. The UK’s growing engagement with Switzerland suggests an ambition to embrace more of that outward-looking mindset. From the perspective of businesses operating across global commodity markets, this is an encouraging direction of travel. Success increasingly belongs to economies that can move quickly, build trusted partnerships and provide the confidence businesses need to invest, trade and grow. At Gapuma Group, we welcome policies that strengthen international trade, reduce barriers and create an environment in which businesses can compete, innovate and deliver value across global supply chains.
The relief is real… The certainty is not
1st July 2026 For four months, the price of oil has told the story of a war few people expected and fewer still know how to end. Now, as June closes, that story appears to be turning: Brent has slipped to around $73 a barrel, its steepest monthly fall since the pandemic and its worst quarter in six years. Petrol stations, freight desks and finance directors across the trading world are, for the first time since February, allowed to exhale. But exhaling is not the same as trusting what comes next. The rally in supply behind this fall in price is genuine enough. Tankers are moving through the Strait of Hormuz again, sanction waivers have loosened Iranian barrels back into a starved market, and the diplomatic language out of Washington and Tehran has, briefly, softened. Yet scratch beneath the relief and the foundations look considerably less solid than the headline number suggests. The current arrangement holding the strait open is not a settlement; it is a temporary courtesy, with Iran having agreed to forgo transit fees for just sixty days and reserving the right to reinstate them the moment that window closes. A ceasefire with an expiry date is not peace. It is an interval. It is worth asking, too, who is actually behind the falling price, because the answer is not simply optimism. Much of this year’s most consistent buying came from trend-following hedge funds, the quiet, algorithm-driven money that piled into long oil positions as the conflict escalated in spring. That money is now heading for the exit, not because the war is over, but because the trade has stopped trending. What looks like the market voting for peace is, in no small part, funds voting to bank their profits before the next headline turns against them. This is a market that has grown fluent in front-running its own volatility. Even regulators have taken notice: several unusually well-timed bets against oil, placed in the minutes before key American statements on Iran this year, are now the subject of scrutiny. Ask a commodities desk how confident it feels and the honesty is telling. Callum Macpherson, head of commodities at Investec, described the situation bluntly as ultimately unsustainable, adding that markets are simply finding ways to muddle through, because the ordinary business of buying cargoes and hedging exposure cannot pause for a war to make up its mind. That, in a sentence, is the position every trading, logistics and distribution business now finds itself in. So can this easing be relied upon as the basis for forward strategy? Not yet, and arguably not for some time. A lower oil price today buys breathing room, not certainty. Freight contracts, insurance premiums and supplier terms still need to be built for a strait that could tighten again with a single statement out of Washington or Tehran. The prudent response is not to chase the rally down, but to hedge as though the ceasefire is what it has repeatedly proven itself to be this year: fragile, reversible and provisional. The deal may hold. History this year suggests we should not assume it will.
Coatings For Africa 2026: Gapuma Returns to Johannesburg
24 June 2026 The doors are open. Coatings For Africa 2026 begins today at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, and Gapuma Group is here, on the floor, exhibiting for a second time at Southern Africa’s largest gathering of the coatings industry. Held in association with the South African Paint Manufacturing Association (SAPMA), the event runs from today, 24 June, through to 26 June, bringing together more than 150 exhibiting brands from over 15 countries. For three days it becomes the place where the industry does business: manufacturers, raw material suppliers, distributors, buyers and technical specialists such as chemists and formulators, all under one roof, meeting face to face. We are here in force. Our delegation is led by Group Managing Director Jack Bardakjian and Operations Director Stephen Harris, alongside our full South Africa team, including Gary Hayes and Dave Steward. Their presence reflects the importance we place on this market and on the relationships that underpin our work across the region. The timing could not be sharper. Southern Africa’s paint and coatings market, valued at around USD 770 million, is forecast to grow steadily through 2031, driven by construction activity, infrastructure investment and rising demand for more sustainable coating technologies. Running alongside the exhibition, ChemTalks opens today too, with a focused programme spanning regulation, formulation and the latest technical innovation. For everyone working within coatings, this is the moment to gather insight, exchange ideas with industry leaders, explore new opportunities and forge stronger relationships across the region. We are on the floor now. If you are here in Johannesburg, come and find us.
Gapuma Switzerland: At the Heart of European Biofuels
26 May 2026 Rafael Fraletti, Charles Percheron and Fabrice Brunet – Managing Director, Switzerland – recently attended the 10th European Biofuels Conference – organised by Dropet, a division of Marex – held at the Pestana Cidadela Cascais in Portugal. Now in its tenth year, the conference has established itself as a landmark gathering for buyers, sellers and companies active in the European biofuels markets. The three-day programme combined substantive keynote sessions with extensive networking. Argus Media’s Giulia Squadrin and Joshua Thomas Michalowski opened proceedings with an overview of European biofuels market trends, pricing and outlook, while Andreas Bodenmueller of Verbio examined the implications of RED III through the lens of the German experience. Beyond the formal sessions, the format allowed for the kind of frank, informal dialogue that rarely happens in a purely transactional setting – something Gapuma Group values highly as we continue to build our presence in this space. For us, conferences such as this one are not simply networking events. They are an essential part of understanding where markets are heading, and of positioning ourselves to serve our clients well. We look forward to the conversations already in progress as a result.
🛢️ GAPUMA GROUP | MARKET INTELLIGENCE | 20 MAY 2026
Hormuz, Beijing and Moscow: The Geopolitics of Oil Are Being Rewritten in Real Time The movement of two Chinese supertankers through the Strait of Hormuz today – the Yuan Gui Yang and Ocean Lily, carrying approximately 4 million barrels of crude after waiting in the Gulf for more than two months – has sent an immediate and unmistakeable signal to commodity markets. Brent crude fell to as low as $110.16 a barrel on the news. This is not merely a shipping story. It is a geopolitical statement. The vessels’ passage comes as President Trump and President Xi concluded a two-day summit in Beijing, with a White House official describing the talks as “good.” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that China would work behind the scenes to help reopen the strait, noting that Beijing has “a much bigger interest in reopening the strait than the US does.” Beijing, characteristically, said nothing publicly about Hormuz – Chinese state media reported only that the leaders “exchanged views on major international and regional issues, such as the Middle East situation.” Silence, in diplomacy, is often the loudest language. Iran has reportedly sought to implement a toll system for vessels crossing Hormuz – a brazen assertion of sovereign authority over an international waterway that carries roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply. That Chinese-flagged supertankers are now moving freely while broader restrictions remain in place is a pointed reminder of where true leverage lies. Meanwhile, closer to home, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has authorised the import of Russian-refined diesel and jet fuel into the UK indefinitely, alongside a temporary licence permitting the maritime transport of Russian LNG from the Sakhalin-2 and Yamal terminals. The government frames it as pragmatism. Treasury Minister Dan Tomlinson told Sky News the government was “acting pragmatically to insulate British citizens from the economic fallout of the Middle East conflict.” Critics – not least opposition leader Kemi Badenoch – see it differently: as analysts have noted, from Moscow’s perspective, it demonstrates that Western countries are “not that committed to a sanctions regime” when their own consumers feel the pinch. The broader picture is stark. Global oil supply has declined by 12.8 mb/d in total since February, with output from Gulf countries affected by the Strait’s closure running 14.4 mb/d below pre-war levels. The IEA projects a decline of 3.9 mb/d on average across 2026, assuming flows gradually resume from June. The United Nations has already cut its global growth forecast to 2.5% this year, against an estimated 3% last year, citing higher energy costs and weaker trade. For commodities and futures desks, the key questions now are whether today’s tanker movements represent a genuine reopening or a bilateral Chinese carve-out – and whether the gap between the two matters less than markets think. Wood Mackenzie has estimated Brent could approach $200 a barrel if the Strait remains largely shut until the end of the year. The downside scenario, by contrast, assumes a rapid diplomatic resolution that supply chains are ill-prepared to absorb smoothly. At Gapuma Group, we are watching these developments closely across energy, commodities and futures markets. The rules of the game are changing – and the players setting them are not all where they used to be. For market intelligence, trading insights and strategic analysis, connect with the Gapuma Group team.
Gapuma Group Acquires Equity Stake in Servaco PPS, Ghana’s Leading Industrial and Mining Supply Company
PRESS STATEMENT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 1 May 2026 Gapuma Group, the London-based multinational commodities company serving customers through its warehousing and distribution network, today announces the acquisition of an equity stake in Servaco PPS Limited (SPPS), one of West Africa’s foremost industrial and mining supply companies. Founder Rudolph Opata Matey retains his stake and continues as Managing Director. The partnership represents Gapuma’s most significant strategic investment to date on the African continent, and marks a new chapter in the Group’s long-standing commitment to building durable, operational businesses across emerging markets. Servaco PPS – headquartered in Tema, Ghana – was founded in 1998 and has grown over more than two decades into the region’s most comprehensive industrial supply and services company. Operating across Ghana, Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso, it serves the mining, quarrying, construction, oil and gas, marine, power, water and telecoms sectors, supplying products from over 30 of the world’s leading industrial brands. Its subsidiary, Servmet Technical Services, provides specialist equipment repair, refurbishment and engineering services, including a newly inaugurated engineering workshop in Ghana. Jack Bardakjian, Group Managing Director of Gapuma, said: “SPPS has built something genuinely impressive – a business with real roots, real clients and a reputation earned through consistent delivery in one of Africa’s most demanding industrial environments. Our role is not to change what works, but to give Rudolph and his team the operational backbone and supply chain infrastructure to execute at a higher level. This is exactly the kind of partnership we have been looking for in West Africa.” Rudolph Opata Matey, Managing Director of Servaco PPS, said: “This partnership enables SPPS to deliver even greater value to our customers while building a stronger, more sustainable business. Gapuma’s operational expertise complements our deep knowledge of Ghana’s industrial and mining sectors. Together, we are better positioned to meet the evolving needs of our customers and create opportunities for our team.” The investment will strengthen SPPS’s working capital base, enhance its procurement and supply chain capabilities, and support further expansion across Ghana and West Africa. Gapuma brings to the partnership its global sourcing network – spanning more than 50 countries – and its established expertise in procurement, logistics and supplier development across Africa, Asia and Europe. Current management and staff remain fully in place. Day-to-day operations continue under the same leadership, with planned growth in technical and commercial capabilities to follow. About Gapuma Group Founded in London in 1999, Gapuma Group is an award-winning sourcing, procurement and logistics specialist with global reach. The Group sources products from more than 30 countries and delivers to over 50 countries worldwide, with particular depth of experience across Africa. Operating from its London headquarters, Gapuma serves clients across multiple sectors – including industrial, chemical, agricultural and energy – managing every link in the global supply chain from procurement and finance to logistics and final delivery. www.gapuma.com About Servaco PPS Limited Servaco PPS Limited is a leading Ghanaian provider of industrial products, technical services and supply chain solutions, serving the mining, quarrying, construction, oil and gas, marine, power, water and telecoms sectors across West Africa. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Tema, Ghana, the company operates through strategic hubs in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso, and supplies products from more than 30 of the world’s leading industrial brands. Its subsidiary, Servmet Technical Services, delivers specialist engineering and equipment services to major mining and industrial clients across the region. www.servaco.com.gh