ABSTRACT

THE INFLUENCE OF DIGITAL CURRENCIES ON MONETARY POLICY IN SUBSAHARAN AFRICA

Journal: Social Values and Society (SVS)
Author: Onum Friday Okoh, Agama Omachi

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

DOI: 10.26480/svs.01.2025.59.68

Digital currencies are reshaping the financial landscape globally, with significant implications for monetary policy in Sub-Saharan Africa. As central banks and policymakers navigate the integration of digital assets, concerns arise regarding their impact on traditional monetary tools, financial stability, and economic development. This paper explores how digital currencies—both privately issued cryptocurrencies and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)—influence monetary policy transmission, inflation control, and exchange rate stability in the region. While digital currencies offer benefits such as financial inclusion, reduced transaction costs, and enhanced cross-border payments, they also pose challenges, including regulatory uncertainties, volatility, and the potential weakening of central banks’ control over money supply. The study highlights the responses of Sub-Saharan African central banks to the digital currency phenomenon, analyzing policy adjustments and innovations aimed at maintaining macroeconomic stability. As digital currency adoption grows, policymakers must strike a balance between leveraging its advantages and mitigating risks. This paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on the role of digital currencies in shaping the future of monetary policy in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Pages 59-68
Year 2025
Issue 1
Volume 7