Accra, 17 September 2025 — Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has granted a diplomatic passport to popular YouTuber and travel vlogger Wodemaya, born Kobina Ackon.
Wodemaya, known for showcasing African communities and stories to a global audience, has built a large following online. In a recent social media post, he said he was running out of pages in his passport because of frequent travel.
On Wednesday, 18 September, he also revealed that he had been denied a visa to Australia — a development that drew sympathy from many of his more than three million Facebook followers.
The Ghanaian Foreign Affairs minister in a post on Facebook said four other individuals aside Wodemoya have also been granted diplomatic visas.
“I announced today at the launch of the 2025 Diaspora Summit that based on the authority conferred on the Foreign Minister of Ghana under NLCD 155, we are honoring the following outstanding Ghanaians with Diplomatic Passports:
1) Wodemaya
2) Lady Dentaa Amoateng
3) Rocky Dawuni
4) Anita Erskine
5) Ibrahim Mahama (the iconic artist, not President Mahama’s brother)”
Although Ablakwa has not publicly given detailed reasons for the gesture, he urged the beneficiaries to “keep bringing Ghana renown.”
Some Ghanaians on social media believe the diplomatic passport recognises Wodemaya’s role in promoting Africa through his content.
The YouTuber holds a degree in aeronautical engineering from Shenyang Aerospace University in China. His channel features interviews and documentaries highlighting African achievements and perspectives, including conversations with former Ghanaian President John Kufuor, Kenyan lawyer and Pan-Africanist PLO Lumumba, Air Peace chairman Allen Onyema, and Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing founder Innocent Chukwuma.
Meanwhile, Wodemaya has taken to social media to celebrate the feat, urging his followers to address him as “his excellency.”
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think a proud village boy like me would be holding a Diplomatic Passport. I’m truly humbled and deeply grateful to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ghana,” the Ghanaian YouTuber wrote on Facebook.
