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Uber, the American ride-sharing firm, said on Tuesday that it signed a statement of understanding (SOU) with the Ghanaian Ministry of Transport to officially welcome the company to Accra, Ghana’s largest city.

The San Francisco-based firm said the SOU is aimed at producing a new, forward-looking regulatory framework that allows for ride-sharing technology to be regulated among riders, drivers, and companies that use the technology to source for business.

Ghana’s Minister of Transport, Honourable Fifi Kwetey, and Uber’s General Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, Alon Lits, signed the SOU on behalf of their organizations during Uber’s launch event in Accra last week.

“The SOU is a fantastic first step for Ghana to become a smart city of the future and shows the critical role technology will play in creating thousands of economic opportunities for Ghanaians as well as assisting in reducing congestion on roads,” said Lits.

“Ghana is a top priority for Uber and we are excited about this agreement to update regulations, drive innovation, create thousands of entrepreneurship opportunities, and provide safe, reliable transport options for the people of Ghana.”

With the launch in Accra, Uber is now operational in 13 African cities including Lagos and Abuja (Nigeria); Alexandria and Cairo (Egypt); Mombasa and Nairobi (Kenya); Casablanca (Morocco); Kampala (Uganda); Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg (South Africa).