According to a statement from President Faustin Archange Touadera’s office, the National Assembly passed, and he signed, a bill drafted by the minister of digital economy, Gourna Zacko, and the minister of finance and budget, Calixte Nganongo.

“There’s a common narrative that sub-Saharan African countries are often one step behind when it comes to adapting to new technology,” Finance Minister Herve Ndoba said last week, as quoted in Bloomberg. “This time, we can actually say that our country is one step ahead.”

The Central African Republic has a population of 4.83 million, around 11% of which have access to the internet. Less than a year ago, El Salvador became the first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender.