•The advancement of modern science is aided by indigenous science.•Adoption and enhancement-based theory solutions can aid in the resolution of indigenous science's imbalance, trivialization, neglect, and underappreciation.•Integrating indigenous knowledge into modern science ensures that it retains its relevance and significance.•The importance of dialogue and debate concerning the relationship between indigenous and modern science in creating societal cohesiveness between the two knowledge systems cannot be overstated.•Modern science has more hegemony over indigenous science in developing countries than it does in developed countries.•Mutual relation between indigenous and modern sciences is considered the millennium working strategy. Indigenous science (IS) is becoming a topical area of interest for most Afro-centric researchers. The areas of concern include the undervalued status of IS and its contribution to the development of modern science (MS) in developing countries and specifically on how the two knowledge paradigms relate to and define one another in practice and whether their relationships are mutual and equitable. The discussion in this article was guided by the generic post-colonial lens and used the integrative research review method. The article examined various studies to determine the role of “IS” in developing MS. Apart from highlighting the analytical relationship between the two knowledge systems and its implications in the practice of MS, the article suggests some promising ways to promote the role of IS in the realm of MS and describes the uncertain relationship between the two knowledge paradigms.