President John Dramani Mahama has weighed in on the public buzz surrounding the recent visit of American YouTube star IShowSpeed to Ghana, expressing confidence that the social media personality will return after his experience in the country.
Speaking at the launch of the SheaPark Resource Hub Project in Wa in the Upper West Region, President Mahama recounted how his children drew his attention to the YouTuber’s 28-day tour of Africa and shared videos from his stop at the Shea Butter Museum in Accra.
IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., visited Ghana on January 26, 2026, where he took part in a series of cultural and tourism-related activities that have since gained widespread online attention.
According to the President, one of the videos showed the 21-year-old content creator receiving a shea butter massage at the museum, which is owned by Ghanaian entrepreneur and former beauty queen, Hamamat Montia.
“Recently, my children were all excited about some young man from America called IShowSpeed, who came to Ghana,” President Mahama said. “One of my children showed me a video of him in a shea butter museum of some sort.”
“I saw him lying down, and about 10 girls, all with shea butter, were massaging this boy. And the way he was enjoying it, he opened his mouth as if he couldn’t breathe. That guy, I’m sure he’ll come back here,” he added.
Beyond the humour of the moment, President Mahama said the episode underscored Ghana’s rich cultural heritage, particularly from northern Ghana, and stirred memories of traditional games and songs from his childhood.
Tourism stakeholders have since described the surge in global attention generated by the visit as the “IShowSpeed Effect,” following reports that the Shea Butter Museum reached maximum capacity after being featured on the YouTuber’s platform.
The museum has been widely praised for positioning shea butter as both a cultural and luxury product, with Ms Montia showcasing 21 different varieties sourced from across Africa during IShowSpeed’s visit.
The visit also attracted national attention after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved a Ghanaian passport for the YouTuber, citing his ancestral ties to Ghana through his mother.
