IShowSpeed was conferred a Ghanaian name, Barima Kofi Akuffo, during his visit to Ghana
American streamer IShowSpeed, real name Darren Watkins Jr, could not contain his excitement after discovering he had been granted a Ghanaian passport following his African tour, which ended on January 28, 2026.
The 21-year-old visited several countries during the livestreamed, 20-country tour, including Nigeria, Benin, South Africa, Eswatini, Rwanda, Namibia, with Ghana as the penultimate stop.
During his visit, IShowSpeed was conferred a Ghanaian name, Barima Kofi Akuffo, and spent time exploring the country.
On January 28, 2026, Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced that his office had approved a Ghanaian passport for the streamer, recognising his “irrefutable ties” to the country.
Foreign affairs ministry approves Ghanaian passport for IShowSpeed
Ablakwa encouraged IShowSpeed to “keep making our great nation Ghana, and our beloved African continent proud” and added, “Ghana celebrates you.”
On February 12, 2026, during a livestream to his over 50 million YouTube subscribers, IShowSpeed reacted to the news. He googled himself to confirm the reports, reading:
“IShowSpeed is an American YouTuber who was born and raised in the United States. As of January 2026, he has also been granted Ghanaian citizenship. Therefore, he holds dual citizenship in the United States and Ghana.”
The 21-year-old was overjoyed. He even played Ghana’s national anthem on his livestream and exclaimed, “This is Google! This isn’t fake! You can’t lie to Google, bro! No way. That’s a big flex.”
Curious about the benefits of his new citizenship, he searched what countries he could visit with a Ghanaian passport and discovered he could travel visa-free or obtain a visa on arrival to numerous countries across Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia, including Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Rwanda, DRC, Senegal, Barbados, Jamaica, Singapore, and the Maldives.
Excitedly, he told his audience, “So, I can go to any of these countries with just no visa. I can just pull up.”
During the livestream, he also shared that his mother is from Ghana, making the dual citizenship a personal achievement for him.
Watch the video below:
🚨ICYMI🇬🇭🇺🇸: iShowSpeed is back doing what he does best after a needed break post-tour.
He just found out that he had been granted a Ghanaian passport following his Africa tour and couldn’t believe it.
He had to googled himself to see reports of his dual citizenship😅.
🦅🇬🇭 https://t.co/xlgcTDlrsz pic.twitter.com/VkAEoAhvUI
— Ölele | Building OSN (@OleleSalvador) February 12, 2026
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