Global travel influencer and YouTuber Wode Maya has defended the government’s decision to grant a Ghanaian passport to American streaming sensation IShowSpeed, calling the move a masterstroke for the nation's soft power.

Appearing on Joy FM’s Personality Profile with host Lexis Bill on Thursday, January 29, 2026, Wode Maya revealed the behind-the-scenes role he played in the historic decision, while simultaneously blasting the "Ghanaian pull-down mentality" that has seen the move politicised by critics.

Wode Maya, who was recently granted a diplomatic passport himself by the Mahama administration for his services to African tourism, disclosed that he personally lobbied the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to honour IShowSpeed during the streamer's "Speed Does Africa" tour.

“I’ve seen all the noise that is happening after the passport... I spoke to the minister; he had no idea,” Wode Maya told Lexis Bill. “I just spoke to the minister: ‘Honorable, please, I mean this would be good for you to honour him.’ And I think by the time he responded, the guy had already left.”

Wode Maya explained that while he intended for the presentation to happen live on Speed’s record-breaking stream—which at one point reached over 50 million subscribers—a timing conflict delayed the announcement.

“I think the minister was on the plane, so he didn’t see the message earlier. The moment he landed, he was like, ‘I’m so sorry, I was on a plane,’ and I was like, ‘That’s okay, but if you still want to go ahead, let’s do it.’”

The 100% Ghanaian Link

Addressing the backlash from those questioning IShowSpeed's eligibility, Wode Maya emphasised that the 21-year-old creator (real name Darren Watkins Jr.) has genuine ancestry in Ghana.

During his Monday, January 26 stream from the Asenema Waterfall, Speed publicly confirmed that his mother has Ghanaian roots, declaring himself "100% African."

“One, the guy has a Ghanaian root. Two, as someone who is on that journey to change the negative narrative of Africa, I feel like IShowSpeed did it right on a larger scale. He wanted to say that he’s 100% African, and if he’s 100% African, let’s say he’s 100% Ghanaian. Yes, right? So he deserved to be honoured,” Maya argued.

"Think Beyond the Mentality"

The travel blogger did not hold back in his critique of the partisan bickering that followed the minister's announcement. He urged Ghanaians to look past political party lines and recognise the massive economic potential of having a global influencer as an "honorary ambassador".

“In this country, everybody tried to politicise everything... I wish we could all put our strength behind the person who is leading the country right now, for him to develop the country. Imagine 50 million people following one person. I mean, I have two million [subscribers], and I even have a diplomatic passport. Imagine someone with 50 million... that’s a big deal.”

He concluded by challenging the "pull-down" culture: " Think beyond the Ghanaian mentality... our mentality is always like pull down.”