Abeiku Santana is the Deputy CEO of the Ghana Tourism Authority
Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Abeiku Santana, has clarified that the Authority had no influence over the itinerary of popular American YouTuber and streamer, IShowSpeed, during his visit to Ghana.
Speaking in an interview with Nana Romeo on January 28, 2026, Abeiku Santana explained that although the GTA wished IShowSpeed had toured more iconic tourist sites across the country, the final decisions were beyond their control.
“We did not influence where he should go. We wished he would visit the Cape Coast Castle, Manhyia, or Kakum National Park and other places,” he said.
According to Abeiku Santana, IShowSpeed arrived in the country with an advanced team that handled his livestreaming, production and overall movement, working with several individuals and agencies during the tour.
“He had an advanced team he came with, had a team that helped with the livestreaming and production and a team that he works with. There were people who led him during the tour and a lot of people and agencies were involved,” he stated.
He further explained that the massive crowd that followed the internet sensation and the limited time available affected his ability to explore more locations.
“We wanted him to visit important places and explore the country very well but because of the crowd that showed up and his time was limited so he couldn’t visit many places,” he shared.
We have developed a proposed acronym for ‘Detty December’ – Abeiku Santana
The GTA deputy CEO revealed that IShowSpeed was also expected to experience the Osu nightlife, but security and crowd control challenges made it impossible.
“He was supposed to experience Osu nightlife but he couldn’t. That’s why he didn’t want people to know his next location if not, people will be following him everywhere,” he noted.
Abeiku Santana stressed that despite the challenges, IShowSpeed expressed deep affection for Ghana and had hoped the country would be the final destination on his African tour.
“He loves Ghana so much and he knew the reason why he didn’t start the tour in Ghana. He wished Ghana would be the last country he would visit but unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way. Everything had been planned already,” he explained.
He outlined the specific role played by the Ghana Tourism Authority during the visit.
“GTA had no hand in IShowSpeed’s itinerary. What we did for him was a visa on arrival. We went to customs and did some clearance before they were able to bring their equipment into the country. We were in charge of the security that followed him and to ensure his safety,” he added.
FG/EB
Watch the latest episode of Talkertainment with Elsie Lamar and David Oscar Dogbe below:
