President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that the visit of American YouTuber and streamer IShowSpeed to Ghana generated about 20 million online searches for Ghana, alongside millions of searches related to shea butter.
According to him, the visit was a major boost to the Ghana’s global visibility and IShowSpeed did more advertising than the country could have done themselves.
Speaking at the Ghana–Zambia Business Forum in Lusaka, Zambia, on February 6, President Mahama explained the growing power of new media and digital influencers in shaping global perceptions, and used the visit as an example.
“Recently there was a young American influencer who, I don’t know if he came to Zambia, but he came through several African countries,” he said.
President Mahama explained that during IShowSpeed’s visit to Ghana, the influencer was introduced to shea butter, a natural product widely used in cosmetics and skincare.
“He came to Ghana and we have a product they call shea butter. Women love it a lot. Now it’s in a lot of cosmetic products, it’s in creams and all that because of the good effects it has on the body,” he stated.
“Apparently, I didn’t know that we had a shea butter museum in Ghana, and this young man visited and he had a good massage with shea butter. There were about 10 girls with shea butter massaging him.”
Mahama said the impact was seen after the streamer left the country.
“After the visit, I’m told that after he left there were millions of searches on the internet for what shea butter is and what shea butter can be used for,” he noted.
The President added, “He did more advertising for us than we could do ourselves. After he left, it’s reported that there were 20 million searches for Ghana. I mean, where is Ghana, what is Ghana about and all that.”
Touching on the broader digital landscape, President Mahama cautioned that while new media offers opportunities, it also presents risks.
“So we can use it to our advantage, but at the same time it has its downsides. And that’s where fintech and cybersecurity comes in,” he said.
IShowSpeed’s visit to Ghana on January 26, 2026, marked the grand finale of his “Speed Does Africa” tour, which took him across several African countries and generated widespread global attention on social media platforms.
