 She served with the Ghana government as Deputy Minister for Higher Education, Culture and Tourism (1986–93) and from 1994 to 1995 as Minister of Education and Culture.She has undertaken studies particularly in the field of education for many international organizations including UNESCO, UNICEF, the World Bank and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa, has held key roles in non-governmental organizations including on the executive board of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) and the Mmofra Foundation.Sutherland-Addy has been the recipient of several awards, including an Honorary Fellowship of the College of Preceptors, UK (1998), a Group Award by the Rockefeller Foundation (2001 and 2002) for the Women Writing Africa Project, an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Education, Winneba (2004), and the Excellence in Distance Education Award from the Commonwealth of Learning (2008).