Ghanaian filmmaker Anita Afonu, one of the brains behind the iconic documentary "Eyes of Ghana," has detailed how former President Barack Obama and his wife decided to produce the movie.

In an interview with GhanaWeb's Isaac Dadzie, shared on X, Anita Afonu noted that the Obamas decided to be the executive producers of the movie when they saw an excerpt of the footage in 2023.

According to her, former President Barack Obama found the story of Dr Kwame Nkrumah interesting, hence prompting his decision to play a role in the documentary.

Watch trailer for Ghana documentary produced by the Obamas, IShowSpeed

"The Obamas have a production company called Higher Ground, and they had previously produced a film titled "The Turnaround." So while they were in the office, they saw bits of the footage. We had shot once in 2023, and they asked, "What is that?

"They got to know about the Nkrumah story, and they jumped on it; they wanted to produce it," she said.

Anita also noted that Ghana's first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, served as a mentor to former President Barack Obama.

She explained that it was through Dr Kwame Nkrumah that President Obama's father took up a sponsorship in the United States.

"Let me also say that this is a bit of a personal story for President Obama because it was Kwame Nkrumah that mentored his father.

‘Eyes of Ghana is riveting!’ - M.anifest hails IShowSpeed’s documentary on Nkrumah’s cameraman

"There was a man called Barack Obama Sr., and it was through Tom Mboya and Kwame Nkrumah that Barack Obama Sr. was inspired to take up sponsorship in the US, which then birthed the man called Barack Obama Jr.," she added.

Meanwhile, the iconic "Eyes of Ghana" documentary also features internationally acclaimed streamer IShowSpeed as an executive producer, and Chris Hesse, Kwame Nkrumah's personal cameraman, as he attempts to recover and return an archive of more than 1,300 film reels documenting Ghana's independence journey and the wider Pan-African movement.

A key figure in the film is Ghanaian filmmaker and producer Anita Afonu, who works with Hesse to preserve the archive and make the historical material accessible to a younger generation.

Watch the video below:>

Producer of ‘Eyes of Ghana’ has shared how the Obamas got involved in the iconic Kwame Nkrumah documentary

According to her, they jumped on it when they saw a bit of footage

She also said this is personal for @BarackObama because #KwameNkrumah mentored his father #IShowSpeed https://t.co/c0orPA6whf

— @Mr Mensah🤍🎙 (@Omensah_Henry) October 18, 2026