IT Strategy & University Management Platform Selection for American University of Central Africa (Equatorial Guinea)
Client: American University of Central Africa (Equatorial Guinea)
Location: Guinea
The Challenge
As a startup university in Equatorial Guinea, the American University of Central Africa needed an IT foundation that could run core university operations from day one—despite typical startup constraints such as limited IT competencies/infrastructure and uncertainty around future scale (student and staff numbers). The solution also had to be student-centric, scalable as the institution grows, and strong enough to support both academic and administrative workflows.
From Stone Hill Education’s perspective, the platform needed to be quality/cost effective, marketable as an “American approach,” and structured to keep Stone Hill positioned as the long-term strategic partner (with intelligence/data ownership supporting ongoing consultancy and upsell).
Our Approach
We conducted a comparative IT solutions study aligned with the university’s operational needs and Stone Hill’s commercial strategy, assessing three models:
Open-source based solutions
Closed-source (commercial) solutions
Hybrid (open + closed) combination
We evaluated each option against critical higher-education requirements, including:
Customization and scalability
Remote accessibility (browser-based)
Compatibility and integration capability
Total cost of ownership and sustainability
Security and performance standards
We also included practical planning inputs such as minimum ICT infrastructure requirements and a 5-year cost comparison to support decision-making
The Solution
The study concluded with a recommended direction: contracting a vendor able to deliver a comprehensive, integrated university management platform (multi-module) while operating on an open-source platform—capturing the flexibility and cost advantages of open-source while ensuring enterprise-grade coverage across modules.
The recommended blueprint included an ERP-style university platform covering core modules commonly required for a modern university, such as:
Administration and governance controls
Student lifecycle management (admissions → graduation)
Faculty/instructor operations (academic and non-academic needs)
HR management
Financial accounting integration
Procurement & inventory
Hostel/transport (if needed)
Library systems and student services support
In parallel, the solution was shaped to support Stone Hill’s operating model—enabling structured access, reporting, and long-term consulting positioning where agreed.
Results
The outcome was a clear, evidence-based strategy that enabled stakeholders to confidently choose a platform aligned with both institutional realities and long-term growth.
Key results from the analysis included:
A documented rationale showing open-source advantages in customization, accessibility, and scalability for a startup context
A 5-year cost comparison illustrating large differences in ownership cost (with examples showing totals of roughly $270K open-source vs ~$1.55M closed-source, and ~$600K hybrid in the study’s model)
Defined minimum infrastructure guidance (servers, backup, firewall, minimum internet bandwidth) to support real deployment planning
A recommended future-ready approach emphasizing a platform that can evolve with the country and institution, reduce operational overhead, and provide the visibility needed for strategic decision-making