On March 6, 2025, African Rural University (ARU), alongside its founding organization Uganda Rural Development Training Programme (URDT), was honored with a Women Empowerment Trophy at the prestigious Empower Her Awards 2025 under the theme women driving change for a balanced future . Held at Hotel Africana in Kampala, the event recognized ARU’s pivotal role in uplifting women through education, providing a platform where women can excel in fields traditionally dominated by men. As Uganda’s only all-women university focused on rural transformation, ARU has been at the fore front of creating effective change agents within the African context to drive change in Uganda

Dr Mwalimu Musheshe -the Vice Chancellor of ARU received the award on behalf of the institution