Data-Pop Alliance (DPA) offered to provide technical assistance to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Togo Country Office (CO) to support its efforts to leverage open and Big Data for the country’s development, including Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) monitoring and promotion. The consultancy aimed at contributing to advancing the state of knowledge, know-how, awareness and capacities to harness the potential of Open Data and Big Data in Togo. In particular, UNDP CO’s ability to contribute to the recognition that data ought to matter; that the access and analysis of personal data must not be done at the expense of people’s privacy, safety and agency; that without a significant upgrade in local awareness and capacities, the “Data Revolution” may fail or simply reinforce existing power dynamics and inequities; that algorithms determining or informing an increasing number of public decisions must be open, fair, transparent; that the most impactful and lasting way to bring about change is to build capacities and connections locally, through pilot projects, experimentations, dialogues, capacity building and awareness raising etc., and according to strategies informed by a sound understanding of the local context.