The Republic of the Congo, one of Africa’s major oil producers, has become the newest member of OPEC, Reuters reported.

“The conference considered Congo’s request to join the organization and decided to approve its admission with immediate effect,” OPEC said in statement.

Congo’s membership was approved during the biannual OPEC meeting held in Vienna over June 22 and 23.

The Congolese government first made clear its intentions of joining OPEC in January 2018, saying that it is moving ahead with new projects that will help the county become sub-saharan Africa’s third-largest producer with a 350,000-barrels-per-day target.