Stevie Wonder, Yandy Smith and Mendeecees Harris and Dr Umar
In January 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that American livestreamer Darren Jason Watkins Jr, aka IShowSpeed, would be granted a Ghanaian passport.
This was after he toured Ghana, where he revealed his mother originated from Ghana and was taken through a Ghanaian naming ceremony where he was given the name Berimah Kofi Akuffo.
While the government’s decision has been met with mixed reactions, this is not the first time an American celebrity has been granted Ghanaian citizenship and ultimately a passport.
Why IShowSpeed’s Ghana passport needs legal clearance – Patrick Boamah explains
Here are some other celebrities with Ghanaian citizenship.
Stevie Wonder
On May 13, 2024, his 74th birthday, legendary American musician Stevland Hardaway Morris, also known as Stevie Wonder, was officially conferred with Ghanaian citizenship by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at Jubilee House in Accra.
In the widely publicised ceremony, Stevie Wonder, with his family, swore an oath at the Jubilee House in Accra, administered by a circuit court judge.
The then President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo then handed the global icon a certificate of citizenship and a Ghanaian passport to symbolise the conferment of citizenship.
Dr Umar
In January 2025, American psychologist and Pan-Africanist Dr Umar Johnson officially became a citizen of the Republic of Ghana.
Dr Umar Johnson was part of 200 African-Americans who took their oath of allegiance to become citizens of the Republic of Ghana.
Yandy Smith and Mendeecees Harris
Also at the same event, reality TV show stars and then-couple Yandy Smith and Mendeecees Harris were also granted Ghanaian citizenship after swearing the oath.
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Meanwhile, watch the 2025 GhanaWeb Excellence Awards Nominees Unveiling below:
