A Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Patrick Boamah, has disclosed that the announcement to issue a Ghanaian passport to American streaming sensation Darren Watkins Jr., popularly known as IShowSpeed, does not in itself complete the process.
He explained that under the amended Fees Act, 2025, the streamer must go through the necessary legal procedures at the Ministry of the Interior before a passport can be granted.
In an interview with Citi News on Wednesday, January 28, Boamah noted that while some administrative steps may be waived, the required legal processes cannot be overlooked.
“So if he’s not a Ghanaian and wants to obtain, or the Minister has announced that he was going to be issued with a passport, then he has to go through the processes at the Ministry of Interior to either be naturalised as a Ghanaian or granted dual nationality, which is allowed before he can be issued with an ordinary passport.
“The Minister also did not say he was issuing a diplomatic passport. Speed does not fall within the ambit of section 7, which deals with special passports for public officers and citizens of Ghana.
They may waive certain steps for him. Yes, towards the acquisition of the passport, but he has to go through the law,” he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday, January 27, officially approved the issuance of a Ghanaian passport to IShowSpeed. The announcement follows the streamer’s high-octane “Speed Does Africa” tour, which culminated in a massive “homecoming” in Ghana on Monday, January 26.
The decision was confirmed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who praised the YouTuber for his authentic connection to the nation and his role in elevating the African continent on the global stage.
