Ghana’s president has credited IShowSpeed with delivering a level of global exposure the country could not achieve on its own, following the streamer’s viral Africa tour.
Speed kicked off 2026 with a long-anticipated trip across Africa, livestreaming his travels as he visited 20 countries in under a month. The YouTuber later described the experience as “life-changing,” saying it sparked something deep within him.
While the tour was a personal milestone for Speed, it also had tangible benefits for the countries he visited, particularly Ghana.
President of Ghana praises IShowSpeed for boosting advertising
Speaking at the Ghana–Zambia Business Forum, President John Dramani Mahama said Speed’s visit generated unprecedented interest in the country and its products.
“We have a product we call shea butter. It is widely used in cosmetics and skincare because of its numerous benefits for the body,” Mahama said.
Mahama explained that Speed had a “good massage” with shea butter with about 10 girls massaging him at the shea butter museum and it had an immediate online impact.
“I’m told that after he left, there were millions of online searches for what shea butter is and what it can be used for,” Mahama explained. “[Speed] did more advertising for us than we could do ourselves. After he left, it was reported there were 20 million searches for Ghana. Where is Ghana, what is Ghana about and all that.”
Mahama also suggested the visit left a lasting impression on the streamer. Speaking earlier in the week at the launch of the SheaPark Resource Hub Project, he revealed his own children were excited about Speed’s arrival.
“My children were all excited about some young man from America called IShowSpeed, who came to Ghana,” he said. “That guy, I’m sure he’ll come back here.”
Speed has already hinted that his African adventure is far from over, describing the recent trip as “season one” and teasing a “season two” in the future.
