Ghanaian passport following his highly anticipated trip to the West African nation.
Ghana was the penultimate stop on the US influencer’s live-streamed, 20-country tour of Africa, which wrapped up on Tuesday.
Following IShowSpeed’s visit, Ghana’s foreign minister announced that his office had approved a passport for the YouTuber, who he called a “worthy ambassador”.
The “Speed Does Africa” tour has been watched around the world, with many praising it for helping to break stereotypes about the continent and showcasing numerous African cultures to the world.
IShowSpeed, aged 21, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr, has more than 50 million YouTube subscribers, with his Africa tour contributing to the growth of his platform.
His Ghanaian passport was approved following “confirmation of the irrefutable ties of IShowSpeed to Ghana”, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa posted on social media.
While streaming in Ghana, the YouTuber told his audience that his mother was from the West African country.
In his post, Ablakwa urged IShowSpeed to “keep making our great nation Ghana, and our beloved African continent proud”. “Ghana celebrates you”, he added.
Many Ghanaians responded positively to Ablakwa’s announcement, but some accused the government of “devaluing” the country’s passport by handing them to foreign celebrities.
During his 28-day tour of Africa, IShowSpeed visited countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco and Ivory Coast.
He participated in various crowd-pulling activities, including racing a cheetah and dancing with members of the Masaai ethnic group.
IShowSpeed celebrated his 21st birthday with cake in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city.
Rolling Stone magazine named him the “most influential creator of 2025” and Forbes estimates his net worth to be $20m (£14.5m).
