Perceptions, experiences and obstacles for intersect oral action for health: Perspectives of policymakers in douala-Cameroon

Background: Recent decades have shown a paucity of information on intersectoral research partnerships in urban health, particularly in Africa. Furthermore, very little attention has been paid to capturing the practice of transdisciplinarity within partnerships. Objectives : In this paper, we present perceptions and highlight challenges faced by partners in urban territorial planning-health research partnerships in Douala, Cameroon. Methods: A qualitative inquiry was employed using in-depth interviews developed using the collaborative functioning approach, with 17 key informants in Douala purposively sampled from a wide range of urban-health research partnerships. Results: Douala city exhibits many health problems, most of which are due to urban territorial planning mismanagement. Most policymakers and decisionmakers perceive intersectoral partnership as an opportunity to effectively manage the city and improve the populations’ health. According to them, partnershipproduces benefits, including improved service delivery, infrastructure development and designing interventions to improve well-being and health of populations. In fact, some have had a good experience because through partnerships, there is availability of financial resources to accomplish partnership goals. And others have had a mixed experience.Due to mistrust and weak collaboration, several urban projects have collapsed. Conclusion: For intersectoral collaboration to be achieved, there must be true effective communication, leadership, shared values and accountability. Trust interacts with different elements that create partnerships where there is co-ownership of study rewards. These findings presentrecommendations that partnerships need to consider to make the most of guidelines on intersectoral collaboration with policymakers and civil society in Douala.