In the previous articles of the series, the Eurasian and Sino-Malay scenarios of the transition from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic were considered. A different pattern can be traced in Africa. Based on the materials of a wide range of sources, it is shown that despite the great variability of Paleolithic processes on the African continent, they are characterized by a general trend-the preservation of the Middle Paleolithic strategy of core splitting. For the transitional industries of North and East Africa, Aterian arrowheads and tools of geometric shapes with a blunted edge are typical. Key words: South, North and East Africa, Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition, Steelbay industries, Howison's port, ater, dabban, sakutiek. Introduction In three previous articles published in the journal "Archeology, Ethnography and Anthropology of Eurasia" [2010a, b; 2011], two scenarios of the transition from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic in Eurasia were considered, based on the analysis of the stone industry and paleoanthropological material of localities in the chronological range of 100-30 thousand years AGO. The process of cutting, standardization of tool sets (scrapers, chisels, drills, punctures, pegs on plates, etc.) can be traced in North, Central, South-West, Asia Minor and Europe. In this vast territory, there is great variability in the Late Middle Paleolithic industries, but at the same time there are many common elements in the primary and secondary stone processing, which suggests a single scenario for the transition to the Upper Paleolithic. Here, during the Middle and final stages of the Middle Paleolithic, the role of plate splitting increased and the resulting blanks became the basis for the manufacture of stone tools of many Upper Paleolithic types. Another scenario of transition from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic can be traced in East and Southeast Asia. Archaeological evidence strongly suggests the undoubted unity of Paleolithic industries ... Read more