Many historical specimens from sub-Saharan Africa are only found in European herbaria, but a higher number of newer specimens than widely assumed are kept in African herbaria, with a concentration in eastern and southern parts of the continent. Many of these herbaria were initiated in connection with independence of former European colonies in Africa, fewer were built on well-established herbaria from the colonial period. There are many gaps in collecting coverage, not least with regard to areas of high plant diversity; this is often caused by poor access or political instability. High species diversity exists in both humid and arid parts of Africa. Lack of collections from and knowledge about areas of high species diversity makes it difficult to prioritise conservation efforts. Gaps in taxonomic knowledge exist in certain large families, such as Rubiaceae, or in large genera, such as Cyphostemma (Vitaceae), Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae), Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae), Polystachya (Orchidaceae), and Barleria (Acanthaceae). Newly collected specimens are now mainly kept in African herbaria, but lack of training and resources in tropical African herbaria are important challenges to prevent African botanists from continuing a somewhat declining European activity, partly caused by the downgrading in priority given to herbaria in European universities and research institutions. Encouraging examples of progress are the many regional African floras that have now been finished or nearly finished in collaboration between African and European herbaria, and the increasing digitization of herbaria and the general development of relevant services on the Internet, which provides new possibilities for botanical studies in Africa.