This paper examines the role of the financial system in the operation and evolution of monetary policy. The financial system is comprised of the banking system, non-bank financial institutions and the capital markets. The role of the central bank is two-fold, that of price stability, and stability of the payment system. We look at the evolution of monetary policy in Africa over the last forty years, through five stages namely, Currency Board, Rationing Regime, Discretionary Regime, Credit Ceiling regime, and Market Clearing Regime. The paper shows how the financial system is important for the effective conduct of monetary policy. The paper discusses the objectives of financial sector reforms in Africa namely, to reduce financial sector repression by liberalizing interest rates; to institute transition from direct to indirect monetary policy; to restructure the balance sheets of banks and restore their solvency; and to develop financial markets. We then present the state of the financial sector in most African countries before and after the financial sector reforms.
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