The President of Niger, Mamadou Tandja, has begun a two-day tour of areas affected by food shortages which are estimated to threaten around four million people in the African state with severe malnutrition.
A spokesperson for Mr Tanja said the aim of the tour was to oversee the distribution of international aid.
Mr Tanja has faced criticism from local politicians for not drawing international attention to the country's famine sooner.
Said to be the world's second poorest country, Niger was doubly hit last year by drought and an invasion of desert locusts that was the worst in over a decade.
More than 200,000 tonnes of grain, or one-third of the year's total, were devoured or destroyed.
