Top Facebook executive Chris Cox visited Ghana on Wednesday, part of a weeklong visit to three West African nations to connect with tech entrepreneurs.

Cox, the Chief Product Officer for Facebook, checked out the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) in Accra to share ideas about innovation and business development. The school and its incubator program offer training, investment and mentoring for tech startups, with participants from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.

There, he met with developers like Edwin Tsatsu Selormey, a co-founder of Devless, an open source development platform launched through MEST.

Cox later participated in a panel discussion with art, music, food and fashion design entrepreneurs – hosted by the ANO Gallery – to explore how creatives are using Facebook in their work.

“Stories matter, whether it’s the stories of our lives or the story of Africa’s growth and ascendance,” Cox said. “We want Ghana’s storytellers — the musicians, the filmmakers, the bloggers — to take their stories to the rest of the world.”

Among the topics discussed was how churches are using the social media platform for meaningful impact. “Churches are one of the oldest and most powerful forms of social networking,” said Nana Opoku Agyeman-Prempeh, the CEO of Asoriba, a church management solutions firm that was the winner of Africa’s Best Startup in the 2016 Seedstars Africa competition, and also supported by MEST.

“Platforms such as Asoriba and Facebook help them give their congregations access to more information and stay in touch with churches and congregation members worldwide, especially in the diaspora.”

Cox also plans to visit Senegal and Nigeria during his visit, according to Facebook.

Want to participate in the next MEST class? Hurry to apply if you’re in South Africa, because the deadline is March 10. For Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and this year Cote D’ivoire, applications are due by May 10. See more details and how to apply here.

Image: MEST/Grahl Photography