Global YouTube sensation Darren Jason Watkins Jr., popularly known as IShowSpeed, is reportedly set to receive a Ghanaian passport following his highly publicised visit to the West African nation.
Ghana's foreign minister Samuel Ablakwa confirmed the news on social media in an X post, crediting popular YouTuber Wode Maya for lobbying on Speed's behalf.
"I am pleased to inform you and our compatriots that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has approved the issuance of a Ghanaian Passport to IShowSpeed," Ablakwa said.
"Ghana celebrates you both — you remain our worthy ambassadors, and we are ever so delighted to have granted you a diplomatic passport last year," he added.
@wode_maya following our discussions and subsequent confirmation of the irrefutable ties of IShowSpeed to Ghana, I am pleased to inform you and our compatriots that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has approved the issuance of a Ghanaian Passport to IShowSpeed.
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) January 27, 2026
Keep making our… pic.twitter.com/oWLsWEpIEq
Ghana was the final major stop of the US-based influencer’s 28-day, 20-country tour of Africa, which wrapped up earlier this week.
While there, the YouTuber said he felt like he was “back home” as he toured several iconic sites.
He also revealed that his mother is of Ghanaian origin, further deepening his emotional connection to the country.
Speed later travelled to the Eastern Region, where he participated in a traditional naming ceremony. Dressed in kente attire, he was given the name Barima Kofi Akuffo.
Throughout the tour, he visited countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco and the Ivory Coast, taking part in viral, crowd-pulling activities such as racing a cheetah and dancing with members of the Maasai community.
He also celebrated his 21st birthday in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city.
Shortly after, Rolling Stone magazine named him the “Most Influential Creator of 2025,” while Forbes estimates his net worth at about Sh2.6 billion (USD 20 million).
Speed's Africa tour drew massive global attention, earning praise for challenging long-held stereotypes about the continent, as he showcased Africa’s diverse cultures, traditions and modern infrastructure to his millions of followers.
IShowSpeed, who boasts over 50 million YouTube subscribers, said during a livestream in Ghana that the tour had significantly boosted his platform’s growth.
In recent years, Ghana has intensified efforts to reconnect with the global African diaspora.
In 2024 alone, it granted citizenship to more than 500 diaspora members, most of them African-Americans, including legendary US singer Stevie Wonder.