At the beginning of the 21st century, African countries face the important task of preserving and using cultural heritage as the basis of historical consciousness, a factor in maintaining and developing their own cultural identity in the context of globalization. The article examines the types of African cultural heritage, the diversity and uniqueness of its historical forms, the territorial distribution of African World Cultural Heritage sites, the efforts of African states to restore the ancient heritage fund and include its iconic monuments in the list of world cultural heritage sites, global risks and threats of loss of heritage sites. It is concluded that it is impossible to preserve the cultural heritage of Africa without the development of broad and organized regional and global cooperation to protect the cultural heritage of countries and peoples, and to ensure the humanitarian security of countries and peoples of the continent. It is necessary to coordinate the actions of UNESCO, the UN, major world powers to prevent the activities of terrorist groups in order to reduce the risks and threats of losing cultural heritage sites and objects.