Wode Maya, Rocky Dawuni, Anita Erskine Among Five Granted Diplomatic Passports By Foreign Minister

Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has presented diplomatic passports to five prominent Ghanaians travel vlogger Wode Maya, Grammy-nominated reggae star Rocky Dawuni, broadcaster Anita Erskine, visual artist Ibrahim Mahama, and entrepreneur Dentaa Amoateng MBE as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s cultural and people-to-people diplomacy.

The announcement was made on Wednesday, September 17, at the launch of the Diaspora Summit 2025, jointly organised by the Office of the President Diaspora Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the Ministry, the recipients were chosen for their significant international reach and their proven record of promoting Ghana and African culture abroad. The diplomatic passports are intended to support their work in connecting Ghana to the world through cultural diplomacy, trade promotion, and global engagement.

Meet the New Cultural Ambassadors

Wode Maya (Berthold Kobby Winkler Ackon): A celebrated travel vlogger and YouTuber who highlights African destinations, entrepreneurs, and success stories. Wode Maya, an aeronautical engineering graduate, has built one of Africa’s most influential YouTube platforms.
Rocky Dawuni: A multiple Grammy-nominated reggae artist and activist whose music and advocacy focus on peace, the environment, and African identity. Dawuni is widely regarded as one of Ghana’s strongest voices for cultural diplomacy.

Anita Erskine: A renowned broadcaster and media entrepreneur, Erskine is known for championing youth empowerment, women’s leadership, and pan-African narratives through radio, television, and speaking engagements.
Ibrahim Mahama: One of Ghana’s leading contemporary artists, recognised internationally for his large-scale installations exploring labour, history, and material culture. Mahama’s works have been exhibited in major museums and biennales worldwide.
Dentaa Amoateng MBE: Founder of the GUBA Awards and GUBA Enterprise, Dentaa is a British-Ghanaian entrepreneur and cultural advocate with a long record of diaspora engagement and entrepreneurship promotion.

Why It Matters

This move is part of a strategic push to broaden Ghana’s diplomatic toolkit by empowering influential cultural figures to act as informal envoys. By leveraging their reach from digital media to music, art, broadcasting, and diaspora networks — the government aims to boost tourism, trade, cultural exchange, and Ghana’s soft power abroad.

Public Reaction

The initiative has been widely praised as a smart use of Ghana’s cultural capital. Many observers note that each recipient represents a different area of influence digital storytelling, music and advocacy, media, visual art, and diaspora mobilisation combining to amplify Ghana’s global presence and engagement.