There is a gradual emergence of a body of knowledge about the factors that
stimulate the formation, survival and disintegration of party alliances and
coalitions in Africa. What is relatively less known is the impact of these
alliances and coalitions on various aspects of political and governance
systems in African countries. This article is a modest step towards explaining
the effects of party alliances and coalitions on national cohesion and party
systems in Africa’s socially-divided states.