Mission, Mayaga and Tono Junctions: Meet three of the notorious road accident hotspots in Navrongo
From dawn to dusk, these intersections hum with activity; motorbikes darting, tricycles weaving through market traffic, and heavy trucks thundering on highways with pubs on the sides choked with parked vehicles and patrons sitting dangerously too close.
Once known for its calm streets and friendly traffic, Navrongo is gradually gaining an alarming new identity: a very peaceful and serene town where accidents have become all too common.
Mission Junction, Mayaga Junction, and Tono Junction, are three names that now trigger anxiety among drivers, riders, and pedestrians alike, especially on market days and festive seasons.
From dawn to dusk, these intersections hum with activity; motorbikes darting, tricycles weaving through market traffic, and heavy trucks thundering on highways with pubs on the sides choked with parked vehicles and patrons sitting dangerously too close.
But behind the daily bustle lies a dark truth: these junctions and a lot more spots have become the epicentre of some of the most frequent and fatal road accidents in the municipality.
Mission Junction
Located at Fari Line, Mission Junction connects the Navrongo-Bolgatanga highway to the Catholic church feeder road which leads to the Hospital Junction. On very busy days, this junction becomes a tangle of vehicles, motorbikes, and pedestrians all competing for space. It is particularly worrying on days that a lot of traffic is going to neighbouring Burkina Faso from the ports.
“Every week, you hear of an accident here. People cross anywhere, but the riders don’t slow down. I lost my friend through an accident at this junction two years ago,” said Apuri Amos, a resident.
With no road markings and a big pothole that has been there for ages, Mission Junction has become a high-risk zone.
Mayaga Junction
This junction is located at Sissala Line. It connects the Navrongo-Sandema highway to the Pe Adda town road. It is also popularly known as Y junction or Luguje Junction among older citizens. The junction is a simple, yet deception stretch where dozens of accidents have taken place leading to loss of lives and injuries.
“The speed people use on this road is deadly, especially those who are always approaching from the Prison side. Also, the shops and signboards have blocked the view of the road going to the town,” said Muniru, a mecanic whose shop sits nearby.
With the alarming rate of accidents, residents have called for speed bumps, removal of the containers and signposts, and the placement of traffic wardens especially on market days, to curb reckless driving.
Tono Junction
Tono Junction sits on the outskirts of town and serves as the main gateway to the Navrongo township from Chiana, Sandema and the communities in that enclave. The junction is the point where the ICOUR road meets the Navrongo- Sandema highway. The junctions is part of a major highway which carries a heavy mix of cargo trucks, buses, cars and motorbikes, and this sometimes results in frequent collisions and near-misses.
Residents say the lack of speed bumps and proper road markings makes this intersection particularly treacherous.
“The trucks don’t see you until it’s too late,” one rider said, recounting a recent crash that left one person dead.
According to health records and local reports, road traffic accidents have been on the rise across Navrongo and its surrounding communities in recent years, with motorbikes involved in most cases. The victims are often young adults, many between 18 and 35 years old.
According to the data from the Nation Road Safety Authority, 1,108 road traffic crashes were recorded in September 2025—a 5.1% drop compared to the same month last year. These crashes involved 1,928 vehicles and led to 243 deaths and 1,405 injuries. While injuries decreased by 3.8% and pedestrian knockdowns dropped by 7.1%, the number of people killed rose sharply by 19.7% from 203 in September 2024 to 243 in 2025.
From January to September 2025, the country recorded a total of 10,734 crashes, representing a 9.3% increase compared to the same period in 2024. These incidents involved 18,276 vehicles and resulted in 2,180 deaths and 12,362 injuries—marking a 20% and 8.4% increase respectively.
Call for urgent action
Residents and road users are urging authorities to take urgent steps to address the avoidable, frequent carnage on the roads. They have demanded the installation of adequate streetlights, traffic signs, and speed-calming measures at all three junctions before more lives are lost.
“The accidents are too many. We can’t keep losing our young people,” said John Atiiru, a road user.
Meanwhile, attempts to speak to the road authorities in the region, to respond to the concerns of residents, have gone unanswered.
Mike 105.3 FM | Navrongo | Castro Senyalah
The signboards, posters, and flyers at these junctions are too much especially Mission junction and Hospital junction.so if something could be done to that it will help. And also if traffic lights are put in these junctions it will also help reduce the accidents.