The “data revolution for development” pundits tout data as representing an undeniable opportunity for transforming and improving societies through the deployment of data-centric development approaches. The critics on the other hand question the legitimacy of these claims made on the role to data to transform society and development work, in particular considering the numerous systemic and structural challenges faced by some of the least developed countries. In this paper we consider the real positioning and role of the data, and in particular Big Data, for sustainable development in Africa. We highlight three perspectives and dynamics associated with the data revolution for development and suggest that the real utilization of data for development in Africa can only be realized when other ecosystem factors are considered in tandem.