Higher Education Partners Africa (HEP Africa) is revolutionising access to affordable, high-quality education in sub-Saharan Africa by harnessing the power of technology-enhanced learning. As part of a globally recognised and mission-driven online programme management (OPM) consortium operating across four continents, HEP Africa empowers partner universities to establish robust online operations, sustainably grow enrolments, and deliver exemplary online student experiences. However, achieving these ambitious goals required overcoming significant challenges in data consolidation, analytics, and reporting.
To address these needs, HEP Africa partnered with Keyrus, a global leader in data and digital transformation, to develop a state-of-the-art solution that drives data-informed decision-making at scale.
The Challenge
As a rapidly growing organisation with ambitious objectives, HEP Africa faced several critical challenges in managing and analysing their data effectively:
Fragmented data sources
Data was distributed across multiple platforms, hindering the ability to create a unified, holistic view for strategic decision-making.
Inefficient reporting
Manual and time-consuming reporting processes delayed access to actionable insights, limiting organisational responsiveness.
Restricted analytical insight
Leadership lacked timely visibility into key metrics, which constrained their ability to make informed and proactive decisions.
HEP Africa’s ability to fulfil its mission depended on achieving the following objectives
Student persistence analysis
Gain a comprehensive understanding of retention patterns and re-enrolment behaviours was crucial to bolster graduation rates.
Marketing optimisation
Achieve maximum efficiency and impact by evaluating the performance of marketing campaigns and tracking critical metrics to achieve maximum impact.
“Additionally, the customer sought to automate labour-intensive tasks, allowing their analysts to focus on strategic, high-value activities,” ads Nomcebo Malinga, Business Intelligence Consultant at Keyrus.
The Solution
Keyrus implemented an end-to-end, bespoke data solution comprising of expertly designed technology stack deployed for the most effective results. This stack consisted of:
1. automated data integration tool that streamlines the extraction and synchronisation of data from key sources in user-friendly data layer tailored to HEP Africa’s specific analytical needs.
2. secure cloud-based data warehouse enabling seamless data ingestion, transformation, and analysis, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.
3. advanced visualisation platform empowering stakeholders across HEP Africa to explore data interactively. Custom dashboards and analytical reports provided actionable insights into trends, and organisational key performance indicators (KPIs).
“This data architecture demonstrates Keyrus’ expertise in modern data stack design, ensuring maximum value is derived from our data, says Keamo Segwagwe, Head of Technology Operations at HEP Africa.
The Benefits
The collaboration between HEP Africa and Keyrus resulted in a transformative impact, enabling the organisation to:
Enhance marketing efficiency
By achieving detailed visibility into their marketing funnel, HEP Africa identified high-performing channels, optimised advertising spend, and significantly improved return on investment.
Improve student persistence
Data-driven insights into student behaviour enabled the identification of critical factors influencing persistence. Targeted interventions were implemented, leading to elevated retention and graduation rates.
Foster data-driven decision-making
A robust data infrastructure, complemented by intuitive dashboards, empowered teams across HEP Africa to make evidence-based decisions informed by real-time insights.
Streamline operational efficiency
Automated data pipelines and self-service analytics minimised reliance on manual tasks, allowing analysts to devote more time to strategic initiatives and high-impact projects.
“Keyrus worked collaboratively with our teams throughout the project to ensure the solution aligned with our strategic goals and operational workflows, delivering measurable value at every stage,” comments Keamo Segwagwe, Head of Technology Operations at HEP Africa.
“This successful deployment of the modern data ecosystem underscores the pivotal role technology plays in driving sustainable organisational growth and impact. We are proud to have helped HEP Africa to extend its transformative educational mission across sub-Saharan Africa with greater precision, efficiency, and scalability,” summarises Luke Silver, Data Engineer at Keyrus.
“Keyrus remains committed to empowering organisations like HEP Africa to unlock the full potential of their data, ensuring long-term success and sustainable growth in achieving their strategic objectives, ads Adam Walker, General Manager at Keyrus.