Why is Ghana giving IShowSpeed a passport? Details explored

One of the biggest streamers, IShowSpeed, might be receiving a passport from Ghana.

IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr., is on his Speed Does Africa tour. On his 20-country tour, he stopped in Ghana while visiting West Africa, and he has shown a different side of the African nations on his live streams, breaking stereotypes and helping with tourism, similar to what he did in China last year.

While in Ghana, he partook in some traditional rituals, and at the end, he signed a citation and became a part of the Akuapem traditional area. Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa took to social media to share his appreciation for the young streamer and, while calling him an ambassador, stated that he will be receiving a Ghanaian passport.

"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."

He concluded, "Keep making our great nation Ghana, and our beloved African continent proud. Ghana celebrates you both — you remain our worthy ambassadors, and we are ever so delighted to have granted you a diplomatic passport last year. For God, Country & Continent 🇬🇭 🙏🏾"

West African countries, over the years, have offered citizenship to the descendants of those people who were taken to the Americas for the slave trade. In 2024, 500 people were offered Ghanaian citizenship, including Stevie Wonder

The streamer who has 50 million subscribers on YouTube concluded his tour in Namibia and shared how this trip changed his life.

"This tour has been amazing, bro... I'm so glad I went to Africa, chat... This tour changed my life, bro. This tour really opened my eyes… it sparked something at the root of me."

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