MOSCOW, November 13. /TASS/. The international community is beginning to focus on Africa more, competing for the attention of African states, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday during the international conference "Radio in Global Media Competition."

"Africa’s role in the life of our planet has changed. The attention to the region is unprecedented. In many ways, a real global battle for the continent has begun, or is already underway," the diplomat stated.

According to her, if earlier, the states competed for the continent’s resources, now the competition is underway for the attention of African states. "We are talking about paying attention to the interests of various regions, countries, organizations, unions," the diplomat went on.

In these conditions, the fact that 80% of the African population receive information mainly through radio, "completely changes the setup of the information agenda," Zakharova stressed. "We need to pay attention to these figures and work with them," she noted.

Zakharova added that the Sochi summit had demonstrated the special role of the African continent.

On October 23-24, the resort city of Sochi hosted the Russia-Africa Summit, co-chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egypt’s head of state Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. All 54 African countries took part in the event, with 43 of them represented by heads of state. Eight major African integration associations and organizations were also involved in the event. An economic forum took place on the summit’s sidelines, attended by the continent’s heads of state, as well as representatives of the business community and government agencies.