Following an agreement with Brazil’s Vale and controversial Israeli investor Beny Steinmetz’s BSG Resources to settle a long-running dispute over the Simandou iron ore resource, President Alpha Condé’s government believes it can launch iron ore exports and persuade a major investor to build the long-mooted Trans-Guinean Railway (TGR). Development of this ‘Southern Corridor’ for economic development and exports from Haute Guinée would provide a major boost in the lead-up to the 2020 elections, in which Condé is widely expected to seek a third term.