Dr Kebakile as Executive Director, TTC, is responsible for the translation of research and development outcomes into commercially viable products and services. He built his career in food research and development at Food Technology Research Services, which later became National Food Technology Research Centre (NFTRC). He served in the technical team that lead the development of Tsabana Weaning Food and Malutu and championed the establishment of the National Agro Processing Plant (NAPRO). He carried out numerous consultancies to transform entrepreneurs’ product concepts into product prototypes.
He has served as Interim Managing Director of NFTRC for six (6) years. He also served as Board Member, and later Board Chairperson, of the Botswana Institute of Technology Research and Innovation. He was appointed Chairperson of the Technology Development Innovation and Transfer sub-committee of the Economic Diversification Drive, and a member of the Poverty Eradication Task Team in the Office of the President. He also served as a member of the Botswana Joint Committee for International Cooperation on Science and Technology. At the regional front Dr Kebakile was elected Secretary of Cereal Science and Technology-Southern Africa (CST-SA), and he also served as a steering committee member of the Southern African Network for Biological Sciences. He believes in putting technology to use to change lives.
Dr Martin Kebakile holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Food Science from University of Pretoria in South Africa, a Master’s Degree in Food Technology from Massey University in New Zealand, and a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Botswana. He is a graduate of the UNCTAD’s EMPRETEC (Entrepreneurship) programme and a strategic Agribusiness programme of Galilee International Management Institute of Israel.