ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The World Bank said on Friday it had approved $256 million in grants and credit to help Ethiopia boost basic services like health and education, and aid power transmission to Sudan.

"Of the total, $215 million is International Development Association (IDA) grant to Ethiopia to continue promoting basic services," the bank said in a statement from its office in Addis Ababa.

"The remaining $41.05 million is credit to Ethiopia to help finance its portion of a new transmission line connecting Ethiopia to Sudan's power grid," it added.

"The project will enable Sudan to replace domestic thermal generation with surplus hydropower surplus from Ethiopia."