Tesano: A beleaguered residential area
Tesano is a residential area situated in the Western part of Accra between North Kaneshie and Achimota. It was first inhabited by the Lebanese who came to do business in Ghana.
Tesano can boast of great hotels like Golden Spoon and Crystal Palm Hotel, restaurants like Papaye and ZooZoo, pubs like Kaldorf and Rhythmz, clinics like Blessings Clinic and Hobats Clinic, schools like God's Grace International and Mizpah, and churches like the Tesano Baptist Church and the All Nations Gospel Church.
It also has a university, police station, sports club and three media houses namely, The Chronicle and The Enquirer Newspaper and Okay FM.
A lot of dignitaries and owners of leading enterprises in Ghana like the Chief Executive Officers of Asare Original Pay All, Latex Foam and E.P.P.L. Containers have their buildings in the area. Also, celebrities like Majid Michel and others live there too.
Despite all the luxury in Tesano, and it being a quiet and peaceful place, it faces some challenges which have become a headache to the inhabitants.
Criminal activities like armed-robbery, snatching of mobile phones and bags from people by individuals are done on streets without lights, and due to its peaceful environment, criminals take advantage of it to terrorise the community.
So many of its roads are un-tarred, whilst the tarred ones have developed a lot of pot holes, while some members of the community litter the environment, especially, on the sides of the un-tarred roads.
Some people also leave weeds to grow in front of their houses, compelling some of the residents to paint inscriptions such as 'KEEP THE LANE CLEAN' and 'DON'T DUMP REFUSE HERE, OR PAY GH10″, but unfortunately, people act contrary to that, thereby creating an unhealthy environment for the suburb.
Furthermore, there are numerous shops, food vendors and drinking spots situated along choked gutters. This puts the health of residents in the community at risk, since most of the choked gutters contain waste products from nearby homes and factories.
Another issue of worry to some residents in the community has to do with undeveloped pieces of land which have been neglected for so many years. Some of the abandoned lands have now been turned into places of convenience by some unscrupulous persons in the community, whilst others have been turned into hiding places for criminals who indulge in social vices.
Some of the residents are we beseeching the government to try and pay maximum attention to the problems mentioned above, and ensure that they are addressed as soon as possible.