ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Uber officially launched in Ivory Coast’s commercial capital Abidjan on Thursday, part of its expansion into African markets, according to Reuters.

Abidjan, a commercial hub of nearly 5 million people, was a “perfect fit”, Uber said in a statement, adding that more than 50,000 people had tried to use its app there in the past year.

“This means that for the thousands of taxi operators in Abidjan, there will be new clients for every single driver, in addition to the number they already have now,” Alon Lits, Uber’s general manager for sub-Saharan Africa, said.

Uber currently operates in 16 cities in sub-Saharan Africa.