Riders for Health to address Economic Forum.

The co-founders of official MotoGP charity Riders for Health will get a rare chance to put their thoughts to the rich and famous later this month, having been invited to attend the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Andrea and Barry Coleman, who founded the charity 16 years ago, will be present as members of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurism - an elite global network of social entrepreneurs which forms the sister organisation to the WEF - and will be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Microsoft magnate Bill Gates and Virgin's Richard Branson as they try to raise awareness of the vital need for transport for development in Africa.

Riders for Health already works to improve the delivery of health care to rural communities in Africa using motorcycles and four-wheeled vehicles. Using expertise from the world of motorcycling, the charity puts in place maintenance and training systems to ensure that African health workers have reliable vehicles that never break down and are run at the lowest possible cost.

"The people of Africa are dying of easily-preventable diseases - bubonic plague, cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS - but even low-tech solutions like mosquito nets or health education will not make a difference unless public health workers can reach the remote rural communities who need them," Andrea Coleman explained, "Transport is probably the single most overlooked element in the battle against poverty and ill-health.

"Riders' programmes are models that can be applied anywhere in Africa, by African nationals, to make a sustainable impact on development across the continent. Motorcycles are out there, saving lives, and we are hugely encouraged by this opportunity to place transport for development in the spotlight."