Highlighting its commitment to nurturing African start-ups and technology entrepreneurs, Facebook will be participating in the Pan-African Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) summit in Cape Town this week.

Aiming to bring together entrepreneurs, investors, executives and ecosystem players from around the world to explore African tech innovation, Facebook will host, and take part in a number of events, including:

Facebook Keynote & Fireside Chat (19th June) – Proud Dzambukira, Strategic Product Partnerships Manager, Facebook Africa will give a keynote talk followed by a Fireside chat with Julien Decot, Facebook’s Director, Platform Partnerships, EMEA

Panel: Rethinking Silicon Africa (20th June) – Julien Decot will moderate a panel with some of the region’s top VCs discussing the wisdom of replicating the Silicon Valley seed-exit model, and exploring how a more African approach might fit into the global funding landscape

Commenting on the partnership, Proud Dzambukira, Strategic Product Partnerships Manager, Facebook Africa said: “We share MEST’s goal of driving economic growth in Africa by investing in tech skills and entrepreneurship. We know that with the right support and guidance these aspiring entrepreneurs can achieve great things, and that is why I believe an event like this is so important to developing, growing and highlighting the African ecosystem.”