Preparation has been finalized to complete work on the construction of 13 universities in various regions of Ethiopia, Ethiopia's Ministry of Education said Sunday.

Desalegn Samuel, chief public relations officer with the ministry, told journalists that the universities to be constructed will be of standard.

Each university is expected to enroll 400 students, Desalegn said.

He said the construction of the universities will have a significant contribution in enhancing the socio-economic development of regions.

Regional governments are expected to benefit a lot from the researches and counseling services to be provided by the universities, he said.

The construction of the universities will also create job opportunity to dozens of people, Desalegn said.

Ethiopian higher education is undergoing a quiet transformation both in public and private domains. Until a few years ago, Ethiopia had only two public universities. There are now eight such universities.

A major campaign is currently underway to establish another 13 universities at a cost of about 1.4 billion US dollars. More than 172,000 students are enrolled in the country's higher education institutions, of which 77 percent are public institutions.