The German administrative post of Bana was established in 1903. On February 10, 1910, the German colonial administration established a first-degree superior chieftaincy in Bana. From 1916 to 1920, Bana was the capital of the Western Circumscription under French administration, which comprised the Subdivisions of Somo, Bana, and Foumban. Bana was elevated to a district of the Haut-Nkam Department in 1961, then to a sub-prefecture in 1967. Today, Bana is led by His Majesty the late Sikam Happi V, successor in 2003 to Fon Konchipe Happi IV.